Silver Lining
by DiscoveringWriting
Summary: Set after season 2! This story has more powerful elements of nature being exposed! how Damon finds true love...and is it Elena? Its has a bit of everything...love, lust, rage, sacrifice, hurt and..consequences of what happened in season 2! Read and Review
1. New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

There was silence, just silence in Damon's bedroom after Katherine left. Yes, she'd brought him the cure. Surprising, wasn't it? But, he had better issues at hand to think about.

No. 1 being Elena, as always. Had she just kissed him or was he dreaming? And, if what Katherine had just told them was true, his brother had just "sacrificed" himself to save him! That meant…what? He was so confused. He didn't know how to react. How could Stefan just "sacrifice" himself to Klaus? What did that even mean? And what would happen to Elena now? Boy, his life was badly screwed up. He was ready to die peacefully a few mins ago because the love of his life had forgiven him for all his wrongs and unbelievably, kissed him. He couldn't forget that feeling. He had got all he could ever ask for from her. And now, he was alive again. No technically, he was still dead. But, vampire-alive again, whatever that meant. Sadly, his fate just didn't like the whole "peaceful" idea.

Damon looked at Elena. She was just staring at the floor. He didn't know what to say or do. Was he supposed to sympathize with her considering the whole "Stefan" problem? But, she hated people doing that, caring for her. She was always so ready to give herself up to save her loved ones.

Well, he had to say something because he could see the pain in her eyes. He understood. Pain was…His thing! And he was sure she was about to break down. She'd been through enough. Jenna's death… John's sacrifice to save her... Now, her boyfriend just leaving! Yeah, well, he was to blame for that. Had he not been bitten by a werewolf, this situation wouldn't have come up.

Why, why did he always have to mess things up?

He had to comfort her somehow. He couldn't bear seeing that grieved look on her face. She looked stunned. She hadn't even moved an inch after hearing the news.

He finally got up with some effort. He was still very weak because of his recent brush with "death". He started walking towards Elena, still thinking about what he would say to her. When he was just a few inches away from her, she finally looked up. He saw the tears forming in her eyes. He felt as if someone had put a stake through his heart. He wanted to say the right thing, but, what was it...he had no clue.

He stepped forward, looked into those eyes and just pulled her into an embrace. She didn't resist. She let him hold her because she didn't have the strength to even stand anymore. It felt like the right thing to do for now because she knew he felt the same grief. She knew he must be thinking about Stefan too. But, more than anything else, she knew Damon would do something, anything to make her feel better. She knew she was the one he loved and he wanted to comfort her somehow. She did need that, didn't she? And he was the only one he could comfort her. No one could understand what she was going through better than him because he himself had lost so many people he loved. Hadn't the same thing happened to her in these last few days? She'd practically lost everyone. All of them. Now, Stefan too.

She didn't know what Katherine meant when she said that Stefan had given himself up to Klaus, but she knew it couldn't mean anything good. Because this was Klaus-the sole reason behind all that was going on in her life. All she wanted right now was for Damon to just keep holding her. She felt safe in his arms for some reason.

* * *

><p>Jeremy thought it was a dream. No, actually, nightmare. He could see Anna and Vicki even though they were supposed to be dead! What was happening to him? And why in the world was it happening to him?<p>

Wait! Hadn't Emily told Bonnie there would be "consequences" of her bringing him back to life? Was this the consequence? Could he see dead people now because he had been one of them for the briefest moment?

Before he could think anymore, Vicki called out to him. "Hi Jeremy!" This was definitely a nightmare. "So, how've you been? With Bonnie now, aren't you? Jer, I thought you wanted a life with me! What happened? You forgot me just because I died?" There was something wicked about Vicki's expression. Something way off. Anna called him now. "Jeremy! You've been busy. I see Bonnie has been using some of her witchcraft to get herself a lover. And look who's the lucky guy…her best friend's "kid" brother."

"Go away both of you! You are dead! And don't you dare say a word about Bonnie! She has nothing to do with this!" he screamed desperately as he watched them smile. "Now Jer, you don't believe that, do you?" Vicki asked him with that evil smile on her face. She was enjoying this-watching him suffer. "We'll be right here Jeremy. We're not going anywhere. We'll see you again, soon!" Anna told him with a smirk.

Then suddenly they were not there anymore. They just disappeared. Jeremy instantly knew something was wrong, really wrong. He had to tell Bonnie. Yes, that would be the first thing he would do the next day. Meanwhile, his body needed rest. He knew he was very tired after the whole ordeal. He went back to his room and tried to shut away what had just happened. He was sure he was in for nightmares.

* * *

><p>Caroline woke up surprised. What was she doing at the Lockwood house?<p>

Then, she remembered everything from last night. What a nightmare! Suddenly, she looked around, sensing someone near her. She got ready to attack but saw Tyler coming out of the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief. God, she was so tired of this constant having-to-protect-yourself scenario she'd gotten into by becoming a vampire. She had to thank the Bitch for that. Caroline really hoped Katherine was dead.

Tyler came towards her with a mug of coffee in hand, "Here, you look like you need it", he said giving her the mug. She was puzzled that she had slept. It wasn't the 'natural' vampire thing to do. "Care, I'm really sorry about everything... leaving without informing you, not being a good friend, and not being here when you needed me the most. I feel awful. But, I promise, I won't ever leave you on your own again. I'm here now. And will be till you send me away", he grinned.

She liked the way that smile played on his face. She knew he meant all that he just said. He'd been through enough. He had been betrayed by so many people, her included. She regretted not telling him the truth back then, but, that was all settled now.

She laughed, "Well, seems like you got your brains right back. Yes, you better stay right here-where your mother needs you… I need you", she said reluctantly.

He was looking at her, seeing the emotions playing on her face. He knew there was something between them, something which was hard to define, but…it was there. Some connection they had even though they were supposed to be enemies by nature.

Tyler knew he loved Caroline. He had realized that and it was one of the reasons he had left town-because he also knew she loved Matt and couldn't bear to see her with someone else. Now, seeing how hesitant he was in accepting they shared something, he realized how much he'd hurt her by leaving without telling her. He saw that fear in her eyes, fear of saying something she shouldn't and losing him again. He hated himself for making her feel this way.

He found himself moving up to her and pulling her towards him. He felt himself hug her. He knew they both needed that. "Care, I mean it. I'm not going to leave you again, ever. Okay?", he tried to reassure her.

"Hmmm... ", was all she could manage saying. She just wanted him to continue holding her, comforting her. She knew she had some feelings for Tyler, but right now was no time to think about that. She had to get over Matt first. She knew it was going to be very hard, but she had Tyler, as a friend, with her for now.

"Let's get you home. Okay? You can get refreshed and then we'll go meet the others to check on them", Tyler finally said.

She nodded and let him lead her to the car.

* * *

><p>Damon knew he was very weak right now. He needed blood. And standing this close to Elena could be very dangerous. But she needed him!<p>

He didn't want to hurt her. He was losing his control by the min. He suddenly pushed her away. "Go Elena. Just go away from me right now. I don't want to hurt you."

Elena looked at him, hurt at first. Then she understood why he was saying this. She saw his veins becoming prominent on his face. He needed blood! How could she be so stupid? She knew he was weak after the whole incident and all she had been thinking about was herself and her pain. How selfish could she be! "Damon, just take my blood. You need it."

He turned away from her. "No Elena. I won't. I will never forgive myself if something happens to you because of me. Just go, get out of here." It was getting hard for him to hold on to his control. He had to get away from Elena.

"Damon, look at me.", she turned him to face her. "I trust you, Damon. I know…I know for sure that you'll never hurt me. You need the blood Damon. Just take it." She saw his resolve fluctuating. She had to act. She looked around, found a piece of wood and cut her wrist. "Here Damon, take this. I trust you."

He smelled her blood. The sweet smell of her blood!

It completely controlled his mind. He looked at her. She encouraged him. Finally, his control shattered. He took her wrist and started drinking her blood.

Elena could feel the pain instantly. She felt the blood draining from her body. She had to bear it, for Damon.

Damon was lost in the world of lust. Never before had he tasted such blood. He just couldn't stop. He was finally feeling "alive" again. Somewhere in his mind, he remembered this was Elena.

ELENA! He had to stop. He was going to kill her if he didn't. But the taste…

NO! YOU LOVE HER! He reminded himself. He suddenly pulled back…his eyes getting back to normal.  
>Elena fainted in his arms.<p> 


	2. Schemes

** Schemes**

Klaus had finally got all he wanted. He was invincible now. He had killed Elijah...his stupid brother. He now had his newest weapon with him…Stefan Salvatore, the famous ripper back in 1864.

Klaus knew what he wanted from him, he was just not ready to disclose it yet. He was glad to be back home…England, his favorite place in the world. It was royal…like him.

Klaus walked over to where Stefan was seated with a glass of blood in his hands. He offered it to the vampire who took it with ease now. He had definitely forgotten his old, boring, righteous self, which was a good sign for what Klaus had in mind.

Stefan drank the blood Klaus offered him. He felt at a loss of control. He hated this…hated being such a "vampire". But, the urge to drink that blood overpowered his thinking abilities. He couldn't stop himself from drinking it. He had become what he truly was…a monster.

Klaus refilled his glass as soon as he emptied it. "What is it that you want?" he asked like he had done a million times before. Klaus just smiled and shook his head. "Such impatience! I hate it you know. I hate it when people ask me silly questions over and over again. I really thought I wouldn't have to use my "powers" on you again, but, you are hell bent on creating problems!"

Klaus stared into Stefan's eyes and compelled him. "You are never to ask me about my plans again. You will just follow my orders and do nothing on your own. Okay?"

Stefan repeated Klaus's words. The compulsion never failed.

"Now, go get some rest. We need you to regain your strength as soon as possible! "

Stefan did as he was told and went upstairs to his bedroom in this big mansion Klaus owned.

Klaus couldn't help but smile as he saw Stefan "**Salvatore**" follow his orders. He knew his plan couldn't fail. Now, he just needed one more element…**The Fates**. He knew it was going to be very difficult to locate one…specially since he himself had ordered them dead back in 1300s, but he was sure his witches could help him. Afterall, they had already revealed to him the fact that there was at least one alive. He had to find her…and use her!

His face gleamed as he thought about what he planned to do.

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! Hope you like the story! Please Review! <strong>


	3. Despair

** Despair**

Damon cried in despair as Elena's limp body fell into his arms. No! NO! This couldn't be happening! What had he just done! He looked at Elena's face...almost drained of blood. He had done this!

"No Elena… NO! You can't die on me!" He screamed like a madman. He had lost the only thing that mattered to him…the love of his life, and it was all his doing. He felt tears forming in his eyes...

Then, he heard it. He heard the faint sound of her heartbeat…He almost jumped with relief. He hadn't killed her!

Though that didn't make anything better. She was still unconscious! He laid her down on his bed as gently as he could, bit himself and made her drink some of his blood but he wasn't sure it would work considering he was still healing from his wolfbite. He didn't know what else to do. He couldn't take her to the hospital with all the vampire secrets having been revealed to most people of Mystic Falls. They would just assume he wanted to kill her...Wasn't that what he'd almost done though?

Damon looked at Elena…she had almost sacrificed herself for him today. He loved her, didn't he? Then how could he have been such a monster to her! He sweared to God that if Elena got okay, he would never leave her side again and protect her from everything, including himself!

"Elena…please be ok. PLEASE! I'm so so sorry. I don't deserve to live after what I just did. I'm a monster! A deadly monster!" He felt himself crying…crying for the first time in a very long time. True, he had been sad when he had learnt the truth about Katherine's betrayal, but that was nothing as compared to this. He felt like his sole reason to survive, even if as a vampire, was being taken away from him. Elena was the only person in the world he cared about and what made him cry was the fact that he had done this to her! He held her hand...and laid his head on it. He was ready to die to save Elena. She was his world!

"Wake up Elena, please! Open your eyes! I can't live without you!" Damon cried in despair.

* * *

><p>Elena felt herself being pulled away…away from everything…away from the world. She was losing herself. She knew she had to keep trying to stay awake but, letting herself go seemed so much easier. She was remembering the good times she'd had with her parents before their death…the time with Stefan…and all the happy memories she had collected even through the disasters. She heard someone calling her name…but everything was so unclear. She recognized the voice.<p>

It was Damon. Damon! He had come into her life along with Stefan. She always thought Damon to be the "bad" guy but over the last few days she had realized how wrong she had been. Damon had been hurt by every person he had ever loved…wasn't she one of them too? Even she had hurt him. But, it didn't matter anymore…she felt herself letting go.

Again, she heard Damon's voice from somewhere calling her, telling her he needed her…she heard the agony in his voice. She wanted to comfort him. She knew she was one of the few people who could. She tried to reach back to him through the blackness that surrounded her. She felt the fluttering motion of her eyes. It had been so difficult to do that. The blackness around her finally cleared and she saw him…saw his face-and the look of grief on it. She tried to reach out to him.

* * *

><p>Damon felt Elena's hand move under his hold. He looked up and saw her opening her eyes! He knew he had never been so happy in the 145 years of his existence!<p>

"Elena! Thank God you're alright!" he pulled her into his arms. She seemed weak, yes. But, he promised himself to get her back to her normal self.

"Damon…what happened? Why do I feel so...drained…giddy?

"Elena…I'm so sorry! This is all my fault and I can never forgive myself for doing this to you"

Her heart cried out for him as she saw how pained his face looked. She remembered now why she felt like this. But it wasn't his fault! She knew he had needed her blood and had trusted him not to kill her. And he hadn't! She knew he shouldn't be blaming himself for this.

"Damon…I'm completely fine. Please don't say it's your fault. You succeeded. You didn't kill me! " she smiled hoping it would reassure him.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT? How can you even say that Elena! Of course it's my fault! I almost killed you! And what success are you talking about? The only thing I managed to do was drain your blood to the extent of almost killing you!" he got up, angry with himself and turned away from her. He couldn't let her try to make him feel better. He didn't deserve that!

"Damon, I'm fine. I really am…You have to believe me. And we have other issues to think about than me" She said, trying her best to get his mind off this.

He was in front of her in a second and he held her by her shoulders. "Nothing matters to me more than you, Elena! Whatever issues there are, they just have to wait till I'm satisfied you're ok."

"Now, why don't you just go right back off to sleep while my blood "hopefully works" on healing your wounds." He said with some authority.

She knew she had no other choice but to listen to him. Besides, she felt very weak herself. She didn't want to argue because she knew he was right.

"Okay. I'll sleep for now. But, promise me…no more blaming yourself" she saw the instant look of denial on his face. "DAMON! I'm not sleeping if you don't promise" she said stubbornly.

Damon sighed. He saw that you-are-going-to-HAVE-to-listen-to-me look on her face and knew he couldn't make her change her mind. "Okay. Now sleep. You need it!"

"Good" she said and closed her eyes.

He started to turn and head outside to give her some privacy but he felt her hand holding his…stopping him.

"Want something?" he asked, puzzled. She looked reluctant about telling him what she was thinking but she finally did.

"Damon…Promise me you won't go away too! I can't lose everyone I love" She said finally. She needed to know that Damon was going to be there…with her. She couldn't lose him too. She loved him…in some unexplainable way. He was definitely more than "just a friend".

He saw the expression in her eyes and knew what she meant. She had to be reassured that she wasn't going to lose anybody now. He wished he knew the right thing to say!

"Elena…I'm right here. And I promise I will never let you be alone. We'll deal with this…everything…together." He gently kissed her forehead and held her hand till she finally drifted off.

He knew he had to do something to get Stefan back. He couldn't see Elena like this…so vulnerable…so hurt.

As he looked down at her now, sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face, he promised himself that he would find Stefan and bring him back…even if it was the last thing he ever did!


	4. Warnings

** Warnings**

_Dear diary…_

_It's been 3 days since Stefan left town...but there's still no news of him! I don't know why this is happening to me. I thought after the sacrifice, I would be able to lead a simple, "normal" life…but, I'm starting to feel my life is a never-ending zone of disaster. _

_I feel like I've been jinxed since mom and dad's death. I've been losing everyone ever since. As if Jenna and John's death wasn't enough, now even Stefan is gone. And technically, I had even lost my brother _

_But, thankfully Bonnie had brought him back, even against the wishes of those witches…which, was somehow causing him to see dead people! What is this mess! _

_All of this is so frustrating! _

_Thankfully, I have Damon. Damon…who is probably the only person I can confide in right now. He knows what I'm going through. He understands me. Even I have started understanding Damon better now. I realize now that all his actions, good or bad, have always been an effort to keep me alive!_

_I know he's been blaming himself for what is happening to Stefan. He's trying his best to find a way to save him...And that's majorly because I love Stefan. Still, I can't help but think how Damon has always sacrificed his love. Katherine had said to me before leaving..."it's ok to love them both, I did"! Did she really mean it? And why did she say it?_

Elena suddenly stopped writing because she heard someone shouting downstairs. Scared, she came out of her room and heard Jeremy's voice.

"Why can't you just leave me alone? I don't want to see you both! Just let me be!" he was screaming at no one.

It took a moment for her to realize what was happening! He was seeing Vicki and Anna again! She rushed up to him and hugged him tightly. "Jer, it's ok. Just ignore them…pretend they're not here." She tried to pacify him.

"I can't Elena. They're playing with my head. I'll just lose it if this goes on!"

"Shhh…it's going to be ok…Did you tell Bonnie?" she asked him, concerned.

"Yes, I told her. She's been trying to find some reason for this! Elena…it's driving me crazy!"

He was so upset. She knew she needed help to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"It's going to be fine. Okay? Just relax."

He finally gave in and let her make him lie down on the couch.

The minute she was sure he had slept, Elena picked up her phone. "Damon, I need your help…It's Jeremy."

* * *

><p>Damon had been busy. He had been trying to find a reason for Klaus wanting Stefan and how to save him from that. But, he had gotten nothing!<p>

He was so busy finding answers that he didn't notice his phone vibrating. After a few more hours of futile research, he needed a break!

He poured himself a scotch and sat on his favorite spot on the couch, in front of the fireplace. That's when he noticed that Elena had called him. He listened to her voice mail and knew for sure that it had to do something with those dead people Jeremy was seeing since he had been alive again! How dumb would he sound if he would've said that to a "normal" human!

Damon picked up his phone to return Elena's call. "Elena… Is everything okay? You sounded really tensed!"

"No Damon…nothing is okay! Jeremy has been seeing Vicki and Anna again…and I don't think he can take any more of this." She told him in a strained voice.

He could make out that she was on the verge of breaking down..."Ok, listen to me! Calm down Elena. I'm coming over. Okay? We'll discuss what has to be done. Meanwhile, you call the Witch and Vampire Barbie and ask them to be there too."

"Okay Damon…Just…hurry up!" she sighed.

"I'll be right there Elena…" he hung up and rushed out of the house to his car.

While driving, he called up his one and only friend..."Ric, where are you? Need your help."

"Hey Damon…sorry... I, umm...can't help you at the moment…" He added in a hushed tone, "busy!"

Damon obviously understood what his friend was implying. He felt bad he hadn't been a good friend lately…He hadn't been able to help Alaric cope up with Jenna's death, which had led the guy to the current scenario!

"Ric, listen to me! Jeremy needs help. Something's wrong ok? So, you need to be there for him...Remember you took on the parent-duty!"

Alaric felt a prick in his heart as this brought back memories of Jenna!  
>He knew Damon was right. He had to fulfill his duty towards Elena and Jeremy…he had promised Jenna!<p>

"Alright Damon! What can I do?"

"Just meet me at Elena's place right now."

"Fine. I'll be there in 5"

Damon didn't know what was wrong with Jeremy but, he knew he had to do something about it...for Elena…he thought as he turned into the driveway of her house.

* * *

><p>Elena opened the door to find Damon standing there…she felt a sense of relief taking over her. "Damon…I don't know what to do." She cried and fled into his arms!<br>"I'm so scared Damon…about everything!"

"Hey…Elena…Shhh…It's all going to be okay" he made her look up in his eyes and said with that lopsided grin, "I'll wave my vampire magic wand…and swish! End of our problems!"

Finally, he at least got her to smile a little.

Elena felt herself smile after what seemed like years. Damon had that way of making you forget your problems…only if he wanted to!

She walked with him into the living room where Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy were already seated. Bonnie hadn't said a word since she had reached here…she just sat next to Jeremy lost in thought. Caroline broke the silence…"so, what are we going to do?" She knew everyone knew about the problem. They had gathered here to find a solution!

"Well, now that everyone's here, I think I should tell you what I've found out" Bonnie said finally.

"Let's wait for Ric…I called him too" Damon told the others.

"I'll make some coffee in the meantime" Elena stood up and started walking towards the kitchen.

"I'll come with you" Caroline piped in.

Jeremy hadn't said a word. Now, he looked up at Bonnie and said, "Bonnie…please do something! They won't let me live peacefully!"

"It'll go away Jeremy. I promise!" Bonnie hugged him tight. She didn't want to lose him.

Damon was watching while this whole exchange was taking place. He now looked at Bonnie and gave her a sympathetic smile. She smiled back…confirming that even they had become friends after the ordeal they'd been through.

The silence was broken when Alaric suddenly entered the room. "Sorry, I'm late! Traffic!"

He just went and stood next to Damon as Elena and Caroline emerged from the kitchen with coffee for everyone.

Now everyone looked at Bonnie as she reached for her bag and took out a thick and ancient book from it. "I found this among the grimoires collected by Dr. Martin. It has some information which might be related to what has been happening to Jeremy" she stopped reluctantly.

"Go ahead…what is it?" Damon asked impatiently.

"Well…according to this, Jeremy has been getting warnings!"

"Warnings? What warnings? What is there that we have to be warned about now?" Damon said, cutting her off.

"Damon! Let me finish!

The witches had told me there would be consequences of bringing Jeremy back to life. I'm not sure if this is one of them…but, from what's given in this book, Jeremy has been seeing these dead people as a warning…a warning about the increasing imbalance in supernatural world because of the things that have taken place in the recent days…All the curses being broken etc! Jeremy is just their medium of reminding us that we need to undo all the mess we've created… otherwise, greater supernatural forces will start playing! I don't know what that means…but, this clearly says the only reason Jeremy has been getting these visits from Vicki and Anna is because his coming back to life was not how it would've been had I not used my powers! Thats why its only Jeremy who can see them!"

"Wait a min! You don't, by any chance, mean that the witches want us to get Klaus back to his "normal" form from the invincible hybrid that he's become, do you Bonnie?" Elena asked her best friend…dreading the answer.

"Yes Elena…That's exactly what this means…either that or…killing Klaus altogether! If we have to save Stefan and prevent Jeremy from being tortured by these visits from Anna and Vicki, we have to do exactly that! We have to put back the curse on Klaus…or...kill him!"

No one said anything! They were trying to digest this new piece of information!

Everything seemed to come to a standstill as Bonnie's statement hung in the air!

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! This is where the interesting part begins! I have great plans for chapter 5 now.. so keep reading! And plz review!(if you like the story)<strong>

**Just to drop a hint...chapter 2 has really imp 'hints' about what i plan to write in future! ;)**


	5. The Search for Answers

** The Search for Answers**

Damon was tired of all this!

The Witch always came up with new problems instead of solutions! As if all that they were already facing wasn't enough, now "they" were responsible for putting back the curse on Mr. Invincible Hybrid! Like that was humanly…or vampire'ly'… even possible!

How do you exactly kill an "INVINCIBLE" being? Well…the answer was simple-had there been a way, he wouldn't have been called invincible! The witches definitely had a messed up vocab.

He had been researching for this impossible solution since more than a week! Still, he hadn't even found a single reference to any supernatural being more powerful than their favorite hybrid! Damon was beginning to think all this was useless. They should probably just ask the witches to do whatever they wanted…which, was exactly what they were going to do anyway!

"Damn these witches!" he shouted to the empty walls.

He decided to pour himself another glass of his favorite whisky. While he was at it, he heard his phone ringing…

"Hey Ric…Whats going on? I haven't seen you around since that day at Elena's!"

"Damon! I have some great news…and some bad news!"

"Bad first!" Damon said, cutting him off. "I'm sure the bad is actually worse…considering how things are with us"

"Well, I can't explain on the phone. Plus, I don't really know what this means actually."

"I'm not surprised. I don't know what anything means nowadays!" Damon was in one of his "witty" moods!

"Damon, this really might help"

"Where are you Ric? I'll come!"

"I'm in Duke! Isobel's work place!"

Damon was baffled and started to say something but Alaric cut him off, "Don't ask me anything right now Damon! Just come here as soon as possible!"

"Okay Ric…whatever you say! I'll leave right away."

"And Damon…bring Bonnie along. She might know about this! And yeah…don't tell the others anything right now. We don't want them concerned for nothing!"

"Ric…I'm genuinely curious now! And trust me that is very rare these days considering our 'topic of research'! I'll be there by the evening!"

Damon cut the call and messaged Bonnie next…"Ric found something in Isobel's research. Not sure what it is. Need your help. Get ready…we're going to Duke, right away. Pick you up in 5! PS-don't tell the others!"

Damon packed in a few blood bags and was on the road in seconds…perks of being a vampire!

He received Bonnie's confirmation while he was on his way to her place...

* * *

><p>Bonnie had been with Elena and Jeremy when she received Damon's text. She tried to be as inconspicuous as she could and left by saying that her dad had been begging her to visit.<p>

She reached her place as soon as she could and was packing up a few things when she heard Damon's car pull into her driveway. She just stuffed everything in and hurried out of the door, hopped in next to him and they were off to Duke!

They sat in silence for some time before she asked, "Any idea what this something that they've found is?"

"Nope. None at all! Ric just said it can't be explained over the phone"

"Is that supposed to be good or bad?"

"Do I look like the Witch around here?" he said exasperatedly

Bonnie hated him sometimes…no, actually...most of the times! He was…impossible! But, she knew she should understand that this was not easy for him either. Afterall, Stefan was his only family!

They mostly travelled in silence with a little bit of general conversation at times. When they finally reached Duke, Bonnie was nervous and scared!

Damon looked at her, easily making out how edgy she was…she had always been a great help to them! He hoped this would be another one of those times and she would be able to tell them about whatever Ric was talking about.

* * *

><p>"Damon! Bonnie! I'm glad you guys made it so early. Come on in!" Alaric had come outside to greet them.<p>

"Alaric, what is all this about?" Bonnie asked impatiently. "You know I'm still very new to my powers and don't know much of the history yet!"

"Bonnie, I'll show you what we've got. Come in first!" Alaric held the door open for them to enter.

Damon and Bonnie entered the house to find Vanessa Monroe, Isobel's student, bent over some books. She looked up as she heard them come in and greeted them with a smile.

"You guys want something? Coffee, beer…anything?" Alaric asked them.

"Ok Ric…enough dodging the obvious! Tell us what you found out!" Damon said…obviously losing his patience now.

"Ok Damon! Well…this is all weird. But, Vanessa found out a few of Isobel's personal notes which included a list of things she was working to find out! Among those, I found this!" Alaric said showing them a piece of paper which looked extremely ancient…like it would dissolve on touching.

"This is a part torn from some journal…whose? We don't know!" Alaric handed over the paper to them.

'_I have never encountered someone with so much power! A mere human…but I was amazed at what she was capable of doing! Her presence…that's all that was required! And everything fell into place itself. _

_Could she be something more than a human? But that was impossible! I had heard her heartbeat…wanted to drink her blood! _

_But, how could she possess such powers being a "human"? I have to find out what this is…and I know how I will do so! _

_My Faithful Witches…'_

"What the hell is this now? What does it mean? a journal writing vampire!" Damon asked, surprised.

"I was hoping Bonnie would be able to help! And I've also been trying to find something…anything about it in Isobel's research! So, Bonnie…does this make any sense to you?"

"Alaric…I'm sorry! I told you I'm new to this. I don't recall ever reading about something like this…though that definitely doesn't mean I can't find out!"

"You know where to look for answers?" Damon was sure this couldn't be that easy!

"No Damon…I don't! All I know is that I can look in Dr. Martin's grimoire collection! They date back to even before the time of the Originals! So, there has to be something in it!" Bonnie tried to reason…though she wasn't too sure about it herself.

"Bonnie! There has to be something somewhere! This clearly says there was some way witches could determine what this thing was!" Alaric said, trying to lift up her spirits!

"Are you sure there's nothing more given about this in Isobel's research?" Damon asked, looking at Vanessa.

"I checked everything twice over! I'm sure there's nothing here Damon! Sorry!" she told him.

"Well then…we have another answer to find on our list! I would like to get back to Mystic Falls immediately in that case! Is it okay if we start now Bonnie? Ric?"

"I think Damon's right Ric! We should head back then…before the others get suspicious!"

"Alright! Let's get going!" Alaric looked at Vanessa and saw her sad expression. He went up to her and held her hands, "Thanks for everything, Vanessa! I hope you understand all this is very important for us. But, I don't want to drag you into this for now! You're safe here!"

She just nodded and rose up on her toes to kiss him! He kissed her back and then reluctantly turned away…Damon looked at him questioningly but didn't say anything…they were off to Mystic Falls!

* * *

><p>Jeremy woke up in the middle of the night, hearing some voices. He knew they were back! He just knew it! They would never leave him alone.<p>

He got up and went downstairs to find both of them sitting on the couch!

"Please! PLEASE GO AWAY!" Jeremy screamed!

"We're here to help you Jeremy!" Anna told him…

"Yes Jer! We want to help! Really help!" Vicki said…

"I don't want any help from you both! Just leave me alone!"

"Katherine!" They both said and disappeared…

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><p><strong>I really hope everyone likes this chapter! It's my personal Favorite! Specially the end! :D More to come soon! Plz Review! :)<strong>


	6. Surprising Events

** Surprising Events **

"Katherine? Why her? Vicki didn't even know Katherine! Why would she take her name!" asked a baffled Tyler when Caroline finished telling him about what had happened in the last few days while he had been in Florida...He had to get his stuff back from there and inform the others about Jules's death…and most importantly, about Klaus!

"None of us know any answers yet, Tyler…everyone's been so worried lately!"

Tyler could see how sad Caroline was because of all that was happening. Stefan had been her only friend…she obviously wanted him to be ok! And all this was affecting Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie and every other person they loved!

"Care…Don't worry! We do have a ray of hope, right! That journal entry Alaric found means there is something…someone more powerful than Klaus! We just need to find out more about it…"

"Yeah…I guess it's just been a long couple of days! We're all stressed out."

"Everything will be ok! Trust me!" he tried to comfort her.

"I don't know Tyler! I mean…how will all of this get okay? Look at my life right now…My mom knows I'm a vampire and is trying to come to terms with it, My boyfriend broke up with me because I'm a vampire…and I have a 'werewolf' as my...m-my best friend" she said, trying not to meet his eyes!

They sat in complete silence for some time, both pondering over what she'd just said…Especially about Tyler!

"To top it all, we have the 'Klaus' problem!" she sighed, trying to divert the topic.

Tyler got up from his chair and came and sat next to her…"Care, we will find a way to solve all your problems. You just need to be strong!"

"Hmm…"she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

At that very moment, Matt passed by their table and saw them! It was obvious he was misinterpreting the situation…he just shrugged and walked past by.

"Matt!", Caroline jumped as soon as she saw him. "Matt…Wait! Listen to me!"

She ran after him…"Matt! It's not what you're thinking!" she shouted after him.

He turned suddenly and faced her, "What? What is it Caroline? What am I thinking? Can vampires read minds too now?" he said harshly.

"No! I didn't mean it that way! Matt…Tyler was just…"

He cut her off… "Look Caroline! I don't care about what's going on between you and Tyler! Trust me! I don't! I want no part of this…your life! You can be with anyone you want...just, at least "try" not to make it obvious that you can move on from one guy to another within days!" He practically screamed!

Tyler saw the tears forming in Caroline's eyes and he couldn't bear it anymore!

"Matt! What the hell is wrong with you man? You know she loves you! There's nothing…"

"Shut up man! I don't care what you two are upto! Isn't that clear? And you really want me to believe that there's nothing going on between you two when you yourself had come up and told me before you left town that you love her?" with that, he turned and stomped off!

Caroline looked up when she heard what Matt said…Tyler loved her? She didn't know how to react to that! She knew she was attracted to him…there had been something between them since a very long time. But, what Matt had just said her stunned! She saw Tyler turn and walk towards her…why did she feel nervous? Why was she so worried about what he was going to say now? She felt her 'dead' heart flutter when he came and stood in front of her…

"Caroline, I think we should head back!" he said, pretending like everything was normal!

Caroline agreed and followed him outside to the car. Once there, she stopped him!

"Tyler! I think…I really think we need to talk about what just happened."

Tyler was dreading this very moment. But, he knew there was no escaping it. He also knew that he couldn't be satisfied being just her 'best friend' anymore!

"Yes, I think we do!" he said matter of factly.

"Good…because I-I don't really understand anything!" she said looking away.

"No, you do! You understand everything Caroline! You know it as well as me that there's something going on between us…!"

"Tyler, it's not as easy as you think! I loved Matt!"

"I know you did! But, I LOVE YOU CAROLINE!" he continued seeing her shocked expression, "Yes, I love you! I've loved you for a very long time now! And I left town because I couldn't bear to see you with someone else!" He had finally told her everything.

"Tyler…" she said on the verge of tears…"I wish I would've known…"

He didn't let her say anything more…just took her in his arms and kissed her!

* * *

><p>Elena, Damon, Jeremy, Bonnie and Alaric had been going through Dr. Martin's collection of grimoires for hours! They had all collected in the boarding House and brought all the grimoires here. But, nothing seemed to be making sense!<p>

Damon was getting agitated because of the increasing no. of problems…the latest being the mention of the Bitch! Why had Anna and Vicki mentioned KATHERINE to Jeremy? And what was the whole story about them trying to help him? He got up to pour himself another glass of bourbon. This was so frustrating! They didn't have one single lead to any of their problems.

"I think Katherine might know something!" Elena said all of a sudden.

Everyone looked at her with a blank expression…not understanding what she was trying to say. So, she went on…

"Well… Katherine knows a lot about Klaus since she's been trying to run away from him! So, I think that Anna and Vicki were not lying when they said they wanted to help!"

"There's one teensy little catch Elena…WHY would they want to help us?" Damon said, making it clear that he had already thought of what she was saying as a possibility!

"Maybe they want to help us because of Jeremy! I mean…both of them were his girlfriends. So…" Bonnie said reluctantly. She obviously didn't like the idea of Jeremy's ex being so interested in messing up his present!

"No, I don't think it's that simple Bonnie. They are dead…they can't come back on their own!" Alaric spoke up finally.

"Hold that thought Ric…What if this is the witches at work?" Damon said…trying to think hard!

"What do you mean Damon?" Bonnie asked, ready to defend her ancestors.

"Relax Bonnie! What I'm trying to say is...maybe the witches want to help us set the balance right! Afterall, they are the ones who got us into this in the first place! Maybe they really are sending us hints through Anna and Vicki!" Damon explained…seeing that they all seemed to understand finally.

"You may be right Damon! But, Katherine? How in the world can she ever "help" someone? And WHY would she help us? Not like we're her best friends!" Elena pointed out! She could never believe Katherine was capable of helping someone without any selfish motives involved!

"But she did bring Damon the cure!" Jeremy reminded them.

"Oh My God! Did I just hear Elena's brother defend ME?"

They all turned at the sound of that voice…there was no mistaking who it belonged to!

_Katherine was smiling at them from the doorway…_

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! I really hope you all are liking the story...coz i haven't received much reviews yet! Please continue reading and review if you like the story! thanks! :)<strong>

**PS-I love Tyler-Caroline pairing! Hope you all like it too! :D**


	7. The Fates

**The Fates**

"Hello everyone!... It's so good to see you guys again. I've missed all of you so much!" Katherine freely walked into the Salvatore Boarding House.

"How can you just…" Elena began but Damon answered before she could finish, "You died. So, the house isn't under your name anymore…allowing the bitch to enter whenever she feels like!"

"Like the day I brought you the cure Damon?" Katherine asked…fluttering her eyelashes.

"Yes 'Miss. Katherine'. But that doesn't mean I won't stake you at this very moment unless you tell me your reason to be here! And mind you…don't play games with us!" Damon warned her.

"Damon! I really like it when you go all rough and tough on me!" Katherine was definitely not going to stop playing around.

Damon tried his best to control himself from killing the psychotic bitch right then… because he really wanted to know if she could help them somehow!

"Katherine…let's start from the beginning! Why are you here?" Bonnie was in no mood for Katherine's games…obviously!

"Bonnie…my darling little witch, you should know why I'm here!" When no one answered, she continued... "I'm here to help you guys kill Klaus!" She said it like it was the most obvious thing.

"Did I just hear Katherine Pierce say she's going to help someone? Wow. I must be dreaming!" Damon said, his voice thick with sarcasm! "What's in it for you Bitch?"

"Damon...Would you ever bother using that brain of yours? Don't you realize? I want Klaus dead too! Is it that hard to figure?"

Damon lost his control and pinned her against the wall! "Want me to do the honors instead of Klaus?"

"Yes! Go ahead! Kill me Damon! But then…you'll be the one at blame for the death of this little group of friends who've become your new toys!"

"And how would not killing you be fruitful? You are no less than extra trouble anyway!" Damon told Katherine…with the sweetest of smiles!

"You forget the fact that I know a lot about Klaus…much more than you do!"

"We don't need your help Katherine! We'll figure something out ourselves, thank you very much!" Alaric said, obviously defending his friend.

"You are not much useful as a history teacher…Are you Alaric? And neither is that new girlfriend you've got! What's her name…umm…Vanessa?" Katherine said teasingly.

"What? Alaric's new girlfriend?" Jeremy turned to look at his so-called guardian now.

"Jeremy!" Elena gave her brother a stern look. Jeremy realized his mistake and kept quite.

"I love all this family drama you know! That's why I keep coming back to Mystic Falls." Katherine was being her usual bitchy self.

"How do you even know all this?" Alaric asked in a tight voice.

"Give me some credit Ric" Katherine teased.

"Enough!" Bonnie shouted. "You know very well Katherine that I have the power to kill you. So, give me one reason not to or just get lost before I do that"

"I love you, Witch" Damon winked at Bonnie.

"Well…actually, I'm here as a favor to Emily!" Katherine said after a long silence.

"Emily?" Bonnie was genuinely surprised…rather, shocked!

"Yes Bonnie! Emily!" Katherine continued when no one spoke… "Emily asked me to come here and help you guys…"

"And you agreed to that without thinking of any personal gains! You really want us to believe that?" Damon scowled at her.

Katherine sighed but, finally said, "Emily also told me that this was the only way I could keep myself safe from Klaus…"

"There you go…" Damon taunted.

She ignored him and continued…"because you guys have a pretty good chance if…"

"If…?" Elena asked her, interested now.

"If you know what you need to kill him" Katherine finished.

"So you know a way to kill Klaus?" Bonnie asked, bewildered.

"God! This is boring! … No Bonnie, I don't know how to kill Klaus. Had I known that, I wouldn't have waited this long, trust me!"

"Then what is it that you know Katherine? Can you stop being so vague or you want me to give you a nice little aneurysm to get you talking?" Bonnie raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"You should try to be friendly with me…for your own good!"

Bonnie started to say something again but Katherine stopped her…

"Let me finish first…Now listen carefully!

Back when I was a human and had met Klaus, he told me a lot of random things. Now that I recall all of them, I have been trying to use them against him!" No one said anything so she sighed and continued.

"I know that you guys found that journal entry among Isobel's research." She smiled when Elena and Jeremy looked at the others, confused.

"What journal entry?" Elena turned to look accusingly at the other three, especially Damon.

"Elena, we didn't know it meant anything…and still can't be sure." Bonnie eyed Katherine suspiciously.

"You could've told us about it atleast! And when did you find this?" Elena was furious.

"That's not important right now Elena. We can get to that later. For now, all there is to know about it is that it mentioned some human with extraordinary powers and hinted that witches knew of its existence." Bonnie quickly told Elena. "So, let's hear what Katherine has to say first. Okay?"

Elena still looked hurt about not being told of this before but nodded. Everyone looked at Katherine now…waiting for her to finally reveal what she knew.

Katherine smiled at Elena before continuing…"So, like I was saying earlier, Klaus told me many things. At that time, I thought it was random chatter…but, now I think there is an important piece of information there." She paused for a while but catching Bonnie's threatening look, smiled and continued, "Klaus had once told me that humans could be very extraordinary! He had said that there were certain forces of nature which only humans could control…and some of these forces could prove to be harmful for the most powerful creatures as well. Obviously I didn't understand a word of what he was saying…at that time. Now, I'm sure he meant that these forces were harmful to supernatural beings. What's written in that journal entry is another proof of existence of some human form which is definitely very powerful! If we want to kill Klaus, This is something we need to look into."

"We can't be sure this is all true. It's just a speculation!" Damon said.

"It's not just a speculation Damon!" She continued before he could interrupt, "I know it's not because of something else that I heard back when I met Klaus."

"What?" he asked.

"Klaus always kept joking about something…He used to say-

_I wish the Fates could've been on our side…too bad I never tasted their blood before I got them all killed! _

This was something Klaus loved saying whenever he succeeded in his endeavors." Katherine finally finished.

"What's 'the Fates'?" Jeremy asked out loud.

No one knew the answer to that…so they all turned to look at Katherine, who was smiling again!

She told them…

"There are just two 'obvious' answers-

_A-They are human! And B-Their not being on Klaus's side…made him insecure enough to kill them!"_

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Well...many people have been reading my story! Thank you for that! :) But plz review too! I really wish to knw how you think its going so far! <strong>

**This chapter is very very important! 'the fates'! keep guessing what powers they'll have...(though i have dropped a hint about that before)! ;)**

**Please do review! Thanks! :)**


	8. Bigger Plans

** Bigger Plans**

Klaus wanted Stefan to be completely inhuman…he wanted to turn him into the 'Ripper' he was back in 1964! This was his sole agenda right now...

He had already taken care of his second agenda…he had told his Witches to start their search for 'the Fates'. This time, he didn't want them dead…he wanted them very much alive, and with him.

Last night, Stefan had killed atleast 20 people…and he had only stopped because Klaus didn't want his location to be compromised. He was sure Stefan's "friends" would try to find him and he didn't want to handle that for now.

Klaus saw Stefan heading towards him…"Good morning Stefan! I'm sure last night was fun…wasn't it?"

"Yes, only if you wouldn't have stopped me! I was just beginning to have fun" Stefan said, sounding completely ripped from any shred of humanity he could've had.

"aahh..come on Stefan! We don't want to compromise our location because of your extravagance, do we?"

"As you say, Klaus. I'm not supposed to ask questions."

"Good! That is so good! I'm glad that you've finally come back to your senses."

At that time, Klaus's warlock entered the room. "Master, Greta may have come across a spell to find what you asked for. We need your blood as an ingredient."

"I want to be present when she performs the spell. Take me to her."

Klaus turned to leave but saw Stefan giving him a confused look...so he asked him to come along. Stefan was compelled to follow all of Klaus's orders…so, he simply followed him.

They went to the basement where Greta was placing candles around the room. She looked up as she saw them coming and smiled at Klaus and said, "Master…thank you for gracing us with your presence. I'm trying a new spell to find them."

"Greta, my love…I have high hopes from you. You know how much is at stake right now."

"Yes…and I will try my best to make it work. It's a very powerful spell!"

"Tell me whatever you want from me, my love. But, find them."

"I need you to give me some drops of your blood in this vial. Rest, I have." She said, handing Klaus a knife.

He cut his palm and let a few drops of his blood fall into the vial before the wound quickly healed. He looked at his witch and said, "Now let's begin."

Greta closed her eyes and started chanting something…the candles in the room burned brighter. She took the vial containing Klaus's blood in her hand and continued speaking,

"_EGO dico super universum iuvo mihi. SUCCURRO MIHI per negotium procul manus manus. Permissum mihi exsisto prosperitas in tractare is alica. Permissum mihi reperio alio i'm vultus pro. EGO scisco vos , copiae copie of vis , ut recipero is cruor quod tribuo mihi locus of alio is cruor votum plurrimi. fata!"_

Her tone got louder by every word and finally she let the blood from the vial drop on the map in front of her… the drop of blood moved around frantically, just above the map. Then, it suddenly dropped on the North American continent…it moved around a little and stopped at the border of Montana.

Greta spoke again, "_Exigo locus copiae copie! EGO quaeso exigo locus. dico mihi quis is est!"_

The drop didn't move at all now. Instead, the candles in the room suddenly started sending out high flames which surrounded all of them, threatening to kill. Seeing the danger, Greta stopped chanting the spell.

"I'm sorry Master. There is something protecting the exact location of 'the Fates'…some force so powerful that even I can't breach the shell it's created over them. The maximum I can tell you, using any spell, is that they are somewhere in Montana."

"Don't be sorry, my love. You've told me a lot. You've done your job well and you shall be rewarded."

Klaus started walking towards Greta with a smile on his face… "Thank you master. You've always been so kind to…"

Before she could finish, Klaus took out her heart and her limp body fell forward on the floor.

Both Stefan and his warlock Maddox look at him…shocked.

"She had become useless! Now let's not waste time and prepare for our visit to Montana…" Klaus said with a satisfied smile on his face._  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter is not as lengthy as the others...because it was just to specify that Klaus is on the hunt of 'the Fates'! Thus, its confirmed that the Mystic Falls gang will need to find these Fates before Klaus can, if they want to kill him! <strong>

**Hope you're following the story! **

**I'm loving writing this now. **

**For those of you who love Damon (like me), let me tell you...I have great things in store for him...and he is going to be one lucky guy! :D**

**Please keep reading! and please review! Thats the only way I'll know if you like my story! :) **


	9. Preparations

** Preparations**

Mystic Falls was buzzing with activity. Carol Lockwood had been appointed as the new Mayor and there was a big celebration for the same! The whole town was preparing for this party which was supposed to be the grandest party of the century!

Every single person of Mystic Falls had been invited…and the Lockwood family friends from all over the country were pouring into the town just for this celebration. Carol Lockwood had made sure that invitations were sent out to very person she had ever known…This was a proud moment for her.

Carol was sitting on the couch in her living room, presiding over certain preparations for the Grand Feast which was supposed to be held the next day, when Tyler came from his bedroom and greeted her…

"Good Morning Mum!" He looked around the house and added, "Wow! You've managed to make this place look breathtakingly beautiful!"

"Well, you should also thank Caroline! She's been helping me put this all together." Carol said, knowing very well how her son felt for this girl. She completely approved of their relationship, obviously unaware of how tricky it was for them to be together! She just felt they made a beautiful couple…

"Well, speaking of whom, here she is..." Carol smiled towards Caroline who had materialized behind Tyler.

"Hello Mrs. Lockwood! This place looks amazing! I'm sure everyone will be enchanted!" Caroline smiled.

"It wouldn't have been possible without your help darling! Anyway, you both continue…I have some more things to look into." Carol smiled and left the room, winking.

"Hey there!" Tyler said softly…pulling Caroline in for a long kiss.

"Is this how you welcome people to your home? Because if it is, I'm going to have to stay very close to you so that no other girl falls for your charm!" Caroline told him playfully.

"I assure you Madame, I'm all yours!" Tyler pulled her into his arms for another kiss!

Caroline lost herself in his arms…but, they were interrupted by a coughing sound from Mrs. Lockwood who was standing in the doorway, smiling.

"Sorry to bother you guys!" She smirked, "But I have some work for you Tyler. Remember I told you my very special friends are coming to this party?"

"Yes, Mom. Tell me who isn't?" Tyler said jokingly.

"Tyler! Be serious! One of my closest friends is arriving today. She's a widow and she's coming along with her daughter… today! In fact, anytime now! Now Tyler, I want you to take special care of both of them and make sure they are well settled! Got it?" She looked at him sternly now.

"Yes Mom. I'll take care of everything! Where are they staying?"

"Well of course here Tyler! Right here with us! Like I said, this is one of my closest friends." She told him exasperatedly.

"Okay Mom. I'll make the arrangements. Don't worry!"

"Good! They'll be arriving here soon…so, hurry up now! Both of you back to work!" She smiled and left them alone.

"God! I hate this work!" Tyler groaned as soon as his mom left.

"Yeah? What is it that interests you then Mr. Lockwood?" Caroline teased.

"Well, Ms. Forbes…maybe something like this!" he said kissing her again.

She pulled herself away from him after a long kiss and said regretfully, "WORK!"

* * *

><p>Damon was stuck up with Katherine alone at the boarding house! They were still looking for more information on 'The Fates' in the grimoires but hadn't been very successful at that! Meanwhile Bonnie, Jeremy and Alaric had gone to the witch massacre sight to ask the witches for their help.<p>

Damon thought that was pointless. Why would those witches help them at all considering how Bonnie had gone against their wishes! But, since Emily was the one who'd sent Katherine to help them, everyone thought it was worth a try!

Elena had been 'forced' to help in the Lockwood mansion because of her mother's involvement in the organization of most of the town's parties. Thankfully, Barbie and her wolf boyfriend were there to protect her if need be, Damon thought.

Damon was jolted back from his thoughts when he heard the doorbell. He looked at Katherine who merely smiled at him and motioned for him to go, making herself comfortable on the couch.

He stood up, muttering under his breath, and reached the door in a blur and opened it. A very grim looking Bonnie, Jeremy and Alaric entered the house.

"What's wrong? Damon asked as they just walked past him.

"Well…nothing's wrong…or right." Bonnie said so softly that Damon only heard her because of his extra sharp 'vampire' senses.

"Did you guys find out something?" Damon asked again. When Bonnie didn't answer, he looked at Ric and Jeremy. They just shrugged.

"Oh come on! Witch! What is it?" Damon asked, clearly frustrated now.

"I don't know what to make of it Damon. That's why we're all so confused." When Damon didn't say anything, she continued… "I called upon the witches to help me…but they gave me such vague answers."

"What did they say?" Katherine asked, curious now.

"Well, they confirmed out theory about the fates! But they also said that they couldn't confirm the existence of one now…as Klaus had gotten them all murdered back in the 1400s!" Bonnie looked at Katherine, as if to confirm that she'd been right about the information she had given them.

"They also told me that the 'forces of nature' were helping us by putting what we desired directly in our path…"

"That's perfect." Damon said, almost feeling better.

"No Damon… It's not." Seeing his confused look, she continued "The witches warned me Damon! They clearly told me that if we are somehow unable to use this opportunity that the Forces were laying directly in our paths…then we would lose our 'only' way to kill Klaus, forever!" Bonnie finished and sighed.

"What? How are we supposed to know what exactly this 'opportunity' is? And why would the Forces want to prevent us from trying again if we are unable to find this thing…whatever we are supposed to look for!" Damon's anger was rising by the minute.

"We have no other option Damon. This is our only chance!" Ric told him.

"But what are we supposed to look for?" Damon's tone became more strained every passing minute.

"None of us have any clue to that, Damon. But, we'll find out!" Bonnie told him, trying to sound confident.

"I think I know what you guys should keep a look out for." Katherine finally spoke up.

"And what would that be?" Bonnie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…considering that the witches confirmed that my theory about the Fates was right…" she passed everyone a challenging look, "I think we should keep looking for them." She saw everyone's blank expression and went on to add… "I mean... even though we don't know of their existence, we do know that the Fates are the only thing that can help us kill Klaus. So, we should start our search for them without wasting any further time and keep our eyes open for any clues the forces of nature might throw in to help us!"

"You think we'll all just agree to whatever stupid thing you say?" Damon asked, obviously not in a condition to rationalize before speaking out his mind.

"She has a point Damon." Jeremy said and the others nodded too.

"Yeah buddy…what else can we possibly do?" Ric said, supporting Jeremy.

"Okay, we can continue with our search for the fates…but, I don't trust you, Bitch!" He said turning towards Katherine… "I don't trust you one bit!"

* * *

><p>Tyler had never met these 'Bartons' who, according to his mom, were the closest they had to a family. They were supposed to arrive any minute now…<p>

His mom had instructed him that this was her Best Friend's family and he had to make sure they felt at home! He saw Caroline working in the room ahead and couldn't help but smile as she directed every person to do things her way! She was like his mother in that case…always wanted her way with certain things!

Tyler suddenly felt a force around him…as if there was something very, very powerful around! Some unknown presence…

Then suddenly he felt nothing. It was all back to normal.

Weird, he thought to himself. What had just happened?

He was lost in thought when he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. He turned around with a surprise, his werewolf senses at peak in case there was the chance of an attack!

"Hello, you must be Tyler! I'm Lisa Barton" the woman standing in front of him was probably the most beautiful creature he had ever come across, Tyler thought!

He realized he was absolutely wrong as she went on to say… "And this is my daughter **_Evelyn…_**"

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! So, This is "THE" Chapter! hope you understand why! ;) I've already started writing the next one! And trust me...thats going to be a revelation! :D<strong>

**keep reading! and PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

**Thanks! **


	10. Love is in the Air

**Love is in the Air**

Damon was getting ready for the Lockwood party when he heard Elena walking towards his room. She had come to the Boarding House so that they could discuss about what Bonnie had found out yesterday…and go to the party together. Since Elena was going, Katherine obviously had to stay behind and continue the search for any information on the Fates. It had been confirmed that these fates were no ordinary humans…they had 'powers'! What exactly were those powers? No one knew yet.

Bonnie and Jeremy were also going to be there at the party so that Bonnie could find some reason for the weird power force Tyler and Caroline had felt yesterday…and keep an eye out for clues!

Alaric had volunteered to keep an eye on Katherine while looking for more info with her…Since he was wearing his ring, Damon didn't have to worry about his safety at least.

Elena reached his doorstep and stopped there, reluctant to come in. He turned to look at her and was awestruck by how beautiful she looked in her black, off shoulder dress! God! How he wished she was his tonight! As if reading his thoughts, Elena blushed.

There was an awkward silence in the room. Damon finally said, "You look beautiful."

"Thanks Damon!... And you look your usual charming self." She smiled at him playfully.

"Yes Elena! I know…I'm irresistible!" he said bending down towards her…she blushed and he chuckled.

"Jerk!" Elena said and smacked his arm.

"Let's go." He said and directed her down the stairs.

"Hey Ric, we're leaving!" Damon shouted out to Alaric who was still burrowed in books.

"Have a good time guys!" He shouted back with a smile.

"Yeah! We will! Meanwhile, you take care of yourself here, Ric! Don't trust the Bitch on anything…and don't let her eat you up!" Damon winked at his best friend.

"Yeah man! I'll save myself for you!" Alaric said, laughing. "Now go and have some fun tonight!"

* * *

><p>Tyler had told Caroline about the Bartons at dinner yesterday. She had seen them too… and agreed that they were just naturally very…very beautiful, especially Evelyn!<p>

They had been very friendly and nice to everyone. It seemed they had a special charm which no one could resist. But, Tyler thought, the more important thing was that powerful force he'd felt yesterday…because Caroline had felt it too! Though, it had disappeared in a few seconds, still…they weren't taking any risks considering what Bonnie had found out from the Witches. That is why Damon had agreed to come to the party today. He wanted to make sure everyone remained safe…and also to avoid missing any clues the Forces might throw in.

"A penny for your thoughts" Tyler turned around to find Caroline standing behind him, looking like a dream, smiling at him.

"Care…you look…out of the world! I'm speechless!" Tyler said pulling her in for a kiss! "God! You're irresistible!" he teased.

"Mr. Lockwood! Mind your words!" she said, teasing him back… "You should be made to learn some manners!"

"What for? I would still just want to just keep doing this…" he said, kissing her again!

"God! Do you guys ever stop?" Carol Lockwood giggled and entered the room.

"MOM! STOP IT!" Tyler said, looking at her mom sternly. He looked at Caroline and saw her expression…it was as if they had been caught sneaking in! He couldn't help but smile at that.

Carol laughed and said, "Okay. Sorry! But I really want you two to make sure our guests are being treated perfectly…we need to be good hosts!"

"Okay mom! We'll see to it. Don't worry!"

"Good!" she started turning away but stopped and said, "And both of you…stop getting distracted now!" She laughed as she went out.

Caroline had turned red with embarrassment. Tyler looked at her and started laughing. She started hitting him playfully when Damon and Elena found them.

"What did we miss?" Damon asked with his usual lopsided grin and a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Damon! Elena! Thank God you guys are here! I was starting to think I'll have to spend the entire time with someone boring." Caroline teased.

"aahhh.. Don't you worry Barbie! I'm right here!" Damon said mischievously and winked at Tyler.

"God! I hate you guys!" Caroline said and stomped off leaving everyone in fits of laughter.

"You should go and try to woo her back…or you're dead wolfboy!" Damon warned Tyler.

"Yeah man! Smells like trouble!" He grinned and left to look for Caroline.

"They look so cute together!" Elena said as soon as Tyler left. "It all seems so normal today! As if we didn't have any care in the world…wish it could've actually been that way" She sighed.

"It will be! Soon! I promise!" Damon looked at her with a soft expression in his eyes.

Then he felt it…he felt a very strong power source around him. He couldn't place it but it was very potent.

And then…it was gone. As if it never existed!

He saw Tyler and Caroline coming towards him with a grim look on their faces and nodded towards them…confirming they all had felt it.

"What was it?" Tyler asked when he reached Damon's side.

"It was weird…that's all I can say. I mean, it felt very strong!" Caroline piped in.

"Hey guys!" Jeremy said as he arrived with Bonnie. They both saw the blank looks on their faces. "What's going on?" Bonnie asked, concerned.

"What did you guys feel?" Elena asked, confused.

"We all felt that strange strong power source Tyler had told us about Elena. It was strange…and it just disappeared suddenly like it never existed!" Damon told her and Bonnie and Jeremy.

"Yeah…it barely lasted…"

Tyler saw Damon was not looking at him anymore. He saw Damon's expression change from serious to dazed. Damon's mouth had popped open as he stood gaping at something behind Tyler…and so was everyone else!

Tyler turned back to look at what everyone was seeing and he instantly understood the reason for their dazed look…

Evelyn Barton was walking down the steps towards them in her red gown which looked as if it had been made just for her…her golden hair contrasted perfectly with her gown and her emerald eyes gleamed! Everyone in the room had gone silent as she approached…taking everyone's breath away!

Damon was flabbergasted! He could see nothing but her…she intoxicated his brain. He had to pinch himself to believe he wasn't seeing a dream. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes on. No one in this room…not even Elena, whom he had just complimented at the house, could stand next to her and be noticed. She was breathtakingly beautiful…Damon felt as if had his 'dead' heart was beating at a 100 miles per second. He just couldn't stop looking...

And then she glanced around the room and their eyes met…Damon felt his world shift.

He felt like he could give up the last 145 yrs of his life to just see her again. Everything that had seemed important a few mins ago held no meaning now…his problems, Elena…everything just felt less important, like it could wait. The only thing on his mind right now was…HER!

Then she started walking towards them…was he dreaming? Could it be possible that she felt the same pull?

He was jolted back to reality when Elena struck him with her elbow…she gave him a strange look but he didn't say anything. His gaze just reverted back to 'her'. He saw Tyler moving forward towards her and couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy! What was happening to him? He had never felt this way before...he felt like she controlled him, COMPLETELY! He could've driven a stake through his heart if she wanted him to!

Tyler came back with her towards them…He could see how every guy in the room wanted to take his place right now. But, somehow it didn't matter to him…he was still looking at Caroline, as she smiled back at him! He LOVED her!

Elena saw Damon's expression and couldn't help but feel hurt! Wasn't he the one always confessing his "love" for her? Then why couldn't he take her eyes off this girl? She admitted to herself that the girl truly was a beauty…but still!

"Hey guys! I want you to meet Evelyn…! Evelyn, these are my friends." Tyler introduced them.

"Hello everyone!" Evelyn said softly.

Damon heard her voice...it was like music to his years. He could listen to her for years at a stretch and not feel bored.

Elena, Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy introduced themselves to her and now it was his turn. He couldn't seem to be able to speak. He just kept looking…

"Damon!" Elena nudged him softly and it brought him back to earth. God! What was happening to him?

"Hello…I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore!" He finally managed to stammer it out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Salvatore!" Evelyn said in her soft voice…and he was lost in his dream world again. He loved the way she said his name! He loved…

Then suddenly he felt it again! That jolt of power! It made him realize how dumb he was acting!

He saw Caroline's and Tyler's face marked with the same expression! And this time, even Bonnie had felt it! What was the source of this power they were feeling?

Then it was gone again. And again when he looked at her, he felt himself losing his hold on reality!

_Evelyn…_he repeated her name in his mind and just kept gazing at her even when Tyler excused himself and took her to introduce her to others. What was happening to him!

* * *

><p>Bonnie felt odd! She had also sensed that weird power jolt like Damon, Caroline and Tyler! She couldn't place it… she was as clueless as the others about its source!<p>

"Bonnie, what's on your mind now?" Jeremy asked her.

"I can't help but feel a little odd about that sudden power we all felt." She told him.

She looked up and saw everyone mirrored her troubled expression…except Damon! He didn't seem to have heard even a single word about anything. He was just looking blank…and lost in his own world!

"Damon!" Bonnie said… "Could you place the source of this power?" She asked sternly…it seemed to make him aware of his surroundings again…at least!

"Y-Yes, Bonnie! I felt it too… but no! I couldn't recognize the source." He finally managed.

"I don't know what this means now…though I can't help but think that this might be one of those 'clues' the Witches said we'll get." Bonnie said perplexed.

This seemed to finally wake Damon up as he said, "Yes, that thought did cross my mind too!"

"Do you think you'll be able to place it if you feel it again?" Elena asked.

"I don't know. It seems like something is protecting…shielding…this source! It feels like an impenetrable capsule I'm trying to break into."

"Strange!" Damon said… "That's exactly what I felt when I tried locating the person or thing emanating it!"

"Yeah, me too!" Caroline said, confirming their theory.

"Let's just spread out and keep looking! Elena, you go with Jeremy and Caroline. Damon, why don't you come along with me?" Bonnie said and they all agreed…heading in different directions.

"So, what's happened to you suddenly?" Bonnie asked as soon as they were alone! "You seemed to be lost in your own world back there"

"No! nothing at al-l…" He said as he barely managed to stop himself from bumping into Evelyn.

_Evelyn…_ his incapable-of-beating heart seemed to have found its heartbeat again!

"I'm so sorry!" Bonnie said instead of Damon. "Are you alright?" Bonnie asked her placing her hand of Evelyn's.

Damon saw the sudden strange look appear in Bonnie's eyes and knew something was wrong!

"Sorry Evelyn. I wasn't looking…Have a nice evening!" Damon hated himself for being so abrupt but he literally dragged Bonnie to a corner, "What happened? What did you see?" He asked her.

"Damon!" She sighed.

"I saw Emily…!"

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone! This is the longest chapter I've written so far...had to be...it's Damon's chapter afterall! ;)<strong>

**I really really hope you liked this one! I've always wanted Damon to get the girl he wants...and every person he's loved chooses Stefan over him!**

**So, I wanted to introduce someone "JUST FOR HIM!"**

**I do want Elena to feel 'slightly' jealous! :D**

**All of you who read this chapter, PLEASE review because this is one chapter on which I'm dying to get everyone's view! **

**Thanks again to all those who like my story! :) **


	11. Strange New Feelings

**Strange New Feelings**

"Why would you see Emily on touching…E-Evelyn? There's no possible connection!" Damon seemed a bit over-agitated with this new discovery Bonnie had made at the Lockwood party. All of them had decided to collect at the Boarding House after the party to discuss what to do about this new 'development'.

"I don't know Damon. I'm as confounded as you! I see no reason how Emily and Evelyn are connected." Bonnie said.

"Could she be a witch?" Elena asked.

"No Elena. I would have felt it had she been a Witch! All witches can place each other because of their powers."

"You did say something about sensing a power, right? That could be because she's a witch!" Katherine was equally puzzled.

"No! The power I felt around was very different from what witches emanate! It was much more potent than a witch's power could ever be!" Bonnie explained.

"OH MY GOD!" Elena said suddenly.

"What happened to you now?" Katherine looked at her exasperatedly.

"Don't you guys see it? It's like…It's right in front of our eyes!" She looked at everyone again…still, all blank faces!

"Guys! _**She's the Fate**_!" Elena almost screamed with excitement!

"WHAT?" Damon said, not wanting what Elena had said to be true. Strangely, Damon felt himself wanting to protect 'HER' from all this…this nightmare they were living!

"Why didn't I think of that?" Bonnie said, "It's so obvious! I mean, now there seems to be no other explanation possible! We all felt a strange power in the room…and that was right before Evelyn and her mom entered! And seeing Emily was a sign! _**A CLUE**_!" She seemed to be as excited as Elena about this.

"This definitely makes sense." Alaric said and looked at everyone…everyone seemed to agree…except Damon! He was just…lost.

"Damon?" Ric went ahead and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Y-Yeah! Sorry! I was just thinking about what Bonnie said." He lied...Evelyn was the only thing on his mind right now!

"So this is it? Now all we need is to go to her and ask her to use her powers…whatever they are…and help us?" Tyler said, clasping his hands together.

"NO!" Damon said. "That would be juvenile." He looked at everyone and saw disapproval on their faces.

"What? You guys think we can just go up to her and ask her to help us? Without even knowing her powers or what she's capable of doing? We don't even know where she's from!" Damon finished.

"_**Montana!**_" Tyler answered. "She's from Montana."

Damon interrupted again, "Guys come on! All we have is speculations about the whole 'subject'! What if we are wrong?"

"There's just one way to find out Damon!" Bonnie said… "We really have to meet her and talk to her."

"Oh come on Bonnie! You're a WITCH! Do some spell of yours and find out! We don't need to drag her into this…what will happen if this 'theory' turns out to be wrong?"

"What's wrong with you Damon? Why are you acting as if you care for her more than for Stefan?" Elena said…out of jealousy, hurt…and desire to find Stefan.

"N-No! I didn't mean it that way!"

"Okay. It's settled then. You, me and Bonnie are going to pay her a visit tomorrow!" she gave him a final look, said good night, and marched out of the door!

* * *

><p>Evelyn had been told by a lot of people that she was beautiful…but never before had she yearned for someone to tell her that! Today, at the party, she had felt herself pulled by some invisible force to <em><strong>DAMON SALVATORE<strong>_!

There was something about him which attracted her to him. She couldn't stop thinking about the way their eyes had met…and it had felt like…like she could just keep looking into those blue eyes forever, without rest!

Evelyn had always been surrounded by good looking men who wanted to win her heart and be with her…but, for the first time, she felt the need to be with someone...HIM! She was acutely aware of how he had been staring at her the whole time! But, he had left with his friend so abruptly that she didn't know what to believe!

This feeling…this yearning to see him again, was killing her! It felt as if she belonged to him…like she was under some compulsion to be with him!

"I wish I could see you again soon Mr. Salvatore!" she smiled as she said his name out loud. She loved the sound of it…and when he had taken her name! God! She had felt her heart miss a beat!

"What is wrong with you, Evelyn! When did you start thinking this way?" She asked herself…

"Since I saw Damon Salvatore!" She said, answering her own question and giggling.

She felt like the only thing in the world she wanted was to meet Damon Salvatore again…little did she know that she had _**the power to make anything happen, just by wishing for it!**_ She was, after all…_**The Fate**_!

* * *

><p>Elena was ready to sleep…but her thoughts kept wavering to the way Damon had acted today! He had been literally staring at Evelyn all evening and had been lost in his own world ever since! It looked as if he could only see her…no one else existed around him except her!<p>

Elena knew she loved Stefan and had 'chosen' him over Damon. But, that had never stopped Damon from flirting with her and still caring for her and…loving her! He loved her…he had told her that 'clearly'!

Then how could he just look at some other girl when she was standing right next to him? Today, at the party, Damon had not spoken to her once! He hadn't even acknowledged the fact that she existed! She felt irritated, angry, hurt and…and jealous?

No! She wasn't jealous! Why would she be? She didn't even care about who Damon liked or loved or flirted with! It just didn't matter to her, Elena thought, trying to convince herself. But she knew she was wrong…she knew she DID feel something, jealous or not, seeing the way Damon had reacted around Evelyn.

Her feelings were so muddled up! She felt angry at herself for not being able to explain this thing…

As she laid thinking about it for some time, she knew she had her answer! She knew she had known the answer all along!

There was something unexplainable between Damon and her! Something…which was definitely not just friendship. But seeing the way Damon had been at the party, Elena felt scared! Scared that she would lose him!

"Wait a minute! What's wrong with you Elena! Lose him? What are you even thinking? You don't own him! He can go be with anyone he wants to! He doesn't have to wait for you all his 'life'!" Elena chided herself.

This whole thing about Stefan being gone and Damon being her only source of understanding and support was probably messing up her head, she thought…trying to give herself a logical reason for feeling this way.

But, it wasn't working out!

Because in her heart, she knew the truth…This wasn't just about today! This had been going on for a very long time! She had felt something more than 'just friendship' with Damon for a long time…maybe since he became the 'good' guy…just for her!

Elena hated herself for thinking about it but the first thought that came to her mind was…

_**"It's okay to love them both…I did!"**_

* * *

><p>Lisa Barton had seen the way her daughter had been reacting since they had been to the Lockwood party…and she was no fool! She could see it written all over Evelyn's face that she liked Damon Salvatore!<p>

"_**Salvatore**_!" Lisa shivered at that name!

"I shouldn't have brought her here…I shouldn't have got her to Mystic Falls!" Lisa said, thinking about how she had protected her daughter from these dangers till now. She knew what Evelyn was…and she knew the kind of powers she possessed! Lisa had never had those powers because the gene skipped generations at times!

Lisa had never wanted the power either. In fact, she was happy without it! Her mother had some powers too…not as potent as Evelyn's, but something more than what 'humans' were supposed to possess! She had been told about the family secret by her mother and grandmother when they had realized how powerful Evelyn was and could be… But, Lisa had promised herself not to let any danger come close to her precious child. That's why, she had never told her about the existence any supernatural beings!

Now, it seemed she had no other option…because Lisa was sure the name Salvatore meant trouble!

She clearly remembered her Mother's warnings about that name…

And the _**curse**_ that came along with it…!

* * *

><p><strong><em>Thank you soooo much to all the people who reviewed...specially 123nenagirl and loonynerdxd9! :)<em>**

**_Hope you all like this chapter too! Elena is finally coming to terms with her "feelings" for Damon...and so is Evelyn! So, Who's going to be his true love finally? Keep guessing! :D_**

**_Thanks again to all those who read my story so far! PLEASE keep reviewing! It means A LOT to me! :) _**


	12. New Leads

_**New Leads**_

Damon had never slept more peacefully…all through the night, he had thought about Evelyn! And that he was going to see her again the next day (even though for a not-so-good reason)! He got up and showered…then couldn't decide what to wear! He felt like some 16 year old high school kid who had a big crush on a beautiful, popular girl! Yikes! He thought and laughed.

He decided to go for his regular shades of black and was all ready to go when Bonnie called him…

"Good Morning Witch! I was just leaving…and coming to pick up you both!"

"Good Morning Damon! Yeah, I know you are coming to pick us up but I wanted to tell you something I didn't want to discuss in front of Elena!" Bonnie said reluctantly.

"What? Is everything alright?" Damon was suddenly very anxious.

"Yes Damon! Everything is alright…if that's what you call the whole situation we were in till yesterday. The only thing…rather, person…who is not alright, is YOU!"

"Excuse me!" Damon began to retort but Bonnie continued…

"Look Damon, I can understand how tough everything has been for you…how you've always felt like everyone's 'second choice'." She could clearly imagine the cold look coming to Damon's eyes!

"Damon, I saw you yesterday…and I saw the way you were looking at Evelyn!"

"Bonnie! You're completely misinterpreting the situation!"

"You know I'm not Damon! Don't deny it! I'm a witch after all…remember?" She tried to ease up the conversation a little bit.

"Yes, I know!" He said with a sigh, "Okay, guilty as charged!"

Bonnie laughed, assured that Damon was back to normal… "Damon, you do realize the consequences of this, right?"

"Consequences of what Bonnie? I saw a pretty girl…couldn't take my eyes of her, I admit! But, not like I'm IN LOVE with her! So, we don't even have to think about the consequences!"

"Yeah…I know you aren't in love with her…_**yet**_!"

"You're crossing the limits here, witch!" Damon muttered.

"I'm sorry Damon…I should have told you yesterday!"

Damon's voice was completely devoid of anger and full of concern as he asked her, "What? What did you hide yesterday?"

"When I touched Evelyn yesterday, I told you I saw Emily…well, I didn't want to say this in front of everyone…but I saw someone else too!" Bonnie let out a deep breath and said, "**_I saw YOU_**!"

"What are you implying Bonnie?" Damon asked, shocked.

"Usually when I see things Damon, they have two meanings-either positive or negative. When I had touched Stefan for the first time, I had gotten this negative feeling…obviously because he was a vampire. But, after he and Elena got together and I touched Elena, I got a positive response! That's why I've never asked Elena to "leave" Stefan! I only advised her against it but, that was before I got this positive feeling! Same was with you Damon…I had felt a negative aura around you because you are a vampire too! But, when I touched Evelyn yesterday and saw your face, it was _**the most positive feeling I've ever felt**_!" She finished.

"Are you trying to say Evelyn and me are meant to be together?" Damon asked, hanging on to her next words…for obvious reasons!

"I don't know for sure Damon! But, that's what I felt yesterday! There is some very _**close connection**_ between the two of you…!"

* * *

><p>Jeremy had seen them again...!<p>

Anna and Vicki! They had appeared again in his bedroom last night. Although he hated these crazy encounters, he had to admit he was ready to face them if that meant he could somehow help Elena and everyone else finish off Klaus.

Last night, they had stayed for quite some time. In the beginning, they had just kept fighting for his attention and trying to convince him how Bonnie was not good for him and he should leave her.

When he had asked why, they had just laughed and said that Bonnie was a witch…and anyone who wanted revenge from her, would target him instead…to hurt her!

He was surprised that they did believe that Bonnie and he were in love…But, they had just shrugged at that thought and had told him that it was only because he probably had no other option around! And Bonnie might be using her witchcraft to get him to love her!

That had enraged him and he had asked them to leave…but, obviously they couldn't be controlled! So, they had just kept pestering him off until they got tired of it and finally said something useful and important.

"Jeremy, you need to find someone who knows Klaus…and how he works." Anna had told him.

"Wasn't Katherine this person?" He had asked because last time they had taken her name…

"No, Jer! Someone who knows Klaus better than Katherine!" Vicki had piped in.

"How can I just tell the others that we need to find another person…this time someone who knows Klaus well! Do you realize how difficult that condition is?" Jeremy had gotten angry.

"I don't understand why everyone around here is so hasty! Think about what I said again Jeremy…And you will realize who I'm talking about!" Anna had said and then they both had disappeared!

All through the night, he had kept thinking of who could they be talking about, until he finally fell into a fitful sleep.

Now, as he thought about the whole thing again, something hit him…the realization of who it was that Anna and Vicki were talking about!

"**_Elijah!_**" He muttered to himself! "It can only be him…"

Jeremy ran out of the house and headed towards the Salvatore Boarding House to tell the others.

* * *

><p>Damon, Elena and Bonnie reached the Lockwood mansion and stepped out of the car…all of them nervous about what was to happen next. Damon rang the bell and they were invited in the house. They all headed inside and were met by Carol Lockwood.<p>

"Good Morning Mrs. Lockwood!" Elena smiled at the new mayor… "We're here to meet Evelyn." She told her. The older lady seemed very surprised to hear this so Bonnie spoke up…because Damon was too lost again. " Mrs. Lockwood…we were thinking that Evelyn might like spending some time with all of us. After all, we're almost the same age!" she tried to explain.

"Y-Yes Yes! Mrs. Lockwood! We all were going to the Grill for lunch…So, we thought we should invite her too!" Elena tried to be as enthusiastic as she could.

"Oh that's a wonderful thought my darlings!" Carol Lockwood replied. "I'm sure she'll be very excited to be able to spend some time with you guys and make some new friends! I'm so glad you guys made this plan."

"What plans Mrs. Lockwood?" Everyone turned to see Evelyn walking down the steps with her mother. She was wearing a casual shirt with denim jeans and she still managed to look so beautiful, Damon thought to himself! He couldn't help but look at her…

He felt a power jolt and immediately turned to look at Bonnie who's expression told him that she'd felt it too! It was definitely Evelyn then…he realized grimly. He didn't want her getting involved in all this…it was so risky!

By this time Evelyn and her mother had reached the foot of the steps and were walking towards them when Carol answered Evelyn's question, "These people want to take you out for lunch darling…so that you can all become friends!" She smiled.

"Wow! That's amazing! I would love to go!" Evelyn smiled enthusiastically…especially at the idea of Damon Salvatore being there too! She still felt his eyes on her and couldn't help but blush. She really wanted to talk to him and get to know him better… There was something pulling her towards him every time she thought of him!

"Great! Then why don't you join us right now? We're headed for the Grill anyway! Right Damon?" Elena managed to speak while she looked at Damon…who had his eyes fixated on Evelyn again!

Damon heard his name being called out and turned to look at the person who'd said it…Elena. He felt confused as to what he was supposed to say because for the first time since he became a vampire with super-good senses, he hadn't been paying attention!

"Of course she can come with us right away!" Bonnie said, answering Damon's question and giving him a stern look.

"Y-Yes, why not!" Damon finally managed to speak.

He realized that Bonnie could be right about what she had told him this morning…There was definitely something attracting him to Evelyn…like some force pulling him towards her! And he couldn't resist it!

"Okay, I'll get my jacket and then we're good to go!" Evelyn said excitedly.

"No wait!" Lisa Barton suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at her… "She can't go alone with you guys!"

Evelyn's face drooped down a little on hearing that and she stopped in her tracks…Damon felt so angry at Lisa for taking away that happy smile from Evelyn's face! Wait…he thought… Damon! Stop thinking about her! He chided himself.

"But Lisa, you really don't have to worry! I know all these children…and with Damon there to look over them, Evelyn will be completely safe!" Carol Lockwood tried to convince her friend… "Besides, even we will get some alone time to catch up!" She added.

Before Lisa Barton could disagree again, one of the deputy officers' walked in and asked to speak to the Mayor. There was some problem with the town's cultural centre… So, Carol had no other option but to go to the place immediately. "I really have to go there Lisa! I'm so sorry!" Carol said, sad.

"Oh come on 'Mayor'!" Lisa teased her best friend… "I'll be fine here." Lisa was sure Carol won't let her just stay alone at home. She proved to be right…

"You could always go with these kids!" Carol suggested suddenly, looking at Elena, Bonnie and finally Damon. They were reluctant but obviously had no other option but to agree! So, both Lisa and Evelyn got ready to leave along with them.

* * *

><p>Lisa knew this wasn't going to be just some 'lunch party'! She had seen enough looks passing between their three hosts. Evelyn, on the other hand, was just happy that she was making new friends!<p>

Lisa looked at Evelyn and thought how innocent her little, darling daughter was! She was sure this was just some cover up… and her doubts turned out to be genuine when Damon suddenly took off from the main rood, into the woods and parked the car in front of a huge gate…barely hanging by its hinges!

"Where are we?" Lisa asked, her defenses shooting up!

"We are somewhere where no one will find us." Elena said calmly. "And we're going to stay here till we find out what's the deal with you two!" Bonnie added.

"You can't hold us here against our wishes!" Lisa shouted, taking out her cell phone to call her friend but Damon took it out of her hands before she could dial the no.

"Don't try anything funny…it'll just create problems for you!" Damon said in a steel voice.

"He's right! I'm sure you realize what we are and you'll be surprised to know that we know your little secret too!" Bonnie said, coldly.

"What secret?" Evelyn looked completely shocked and unaware of what was going on. Damon's protective instincts for her turned on again as he looked at Bonnie, obviously angry!

"Damon! You can't just believe her!" Elena said, seeing the way he looked at Bonnie.

Lisa saw the scared expression on her daughter's face and that was her undoing! "Evelyn's telling you the truth! She has no idea about all this! I never told her…" Lisa said, looking apologetically at her daughter who looked at her questioningly.

"And why should we believe you?" Elena said.

"Elena, let's not make this worse! She'll tell us everything I'm sure." Damon couldn't stop himself from saying as he saw how pale Evelyn had gone.

"You'll tell us everything, right Mrs. Barton?" Damon asked her gently. Lisa felt exhausted! She looked at Damon and was assured of the fact that he wouldn't let anything happen to Evelyn…

"_I'll tell you everything…_"

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><p><strong>Hey guys! Thanks to all those people who added my story to their favorites and story alert.! :)<strong>

**This chapter was a major problem! :P I had so much to tell...but didn't know where to begin. So, I decided to just make some base for the next chapter where, I assure you, I'll reveal MANY Secrets! ;)**

**So, Keep Reading! And PLEASE Review! Your reviews make my day! :D :)**


	13. Secrets Unveiled

**_Secrets Unveiled_**

"_I'll tell you everything…"_

"Look …we won't hurt either you or Evelyn! I promise you that! In fact, we want us to work together." Damon tried to get her at ease…Also, he could see how scared Evelyn was, so he tried to smoothen everything up a little.

"I trust you…" and she began…

"This all started when the Originals came into existence. See, there are some natural elements which have ALWAYS been powerful, like it's in their nature. One of them is the spirits. Niklaus… or Klaus was born in a poor peasant family. There was nothing extraordinary about them…until, they accidently angered a spirit crossing their farm. Spirits are well known magical creatures…and back then, they were very much feared. I don't know how exactly they angered this spirit, but…myths say that it was because they killed the spirit's pet or talisman, a bat! The spirit got angry and put a curse on them, making them vampires (sort of human-bats). That's how the vampires came into existence. Werewolves were a counter product of the creation of vampires, to settle the balance of nature. But, then Klaus was born…a hybrid. Till no one knew of this, it was safe…but, then Klaus's father came to know of his mother's infidelity and he killed that entire family, not knowing that they were werewolves at the time. This lead to the war between vampires and werewolves making them natural enemies…which exists even today."

"So, you mean we are just fighting because of this stupid reason? Unbelievable" Damon said exasperatedly.

"Yes Damon, that's exactly what the natural forces thought, which is why they created Witches-to stop this battle. But, the only help that witches did was to bind the werewolf side of Klaus to a moonstone, so that they could prevent the existence of another supernatural being, a very powerful one at that!"

"Yeah, well…that problem is back!" Bonnie sighed.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Barton looked at her, not understanding.

"It's a long story…But, in short, Klaus managed to break the curse and now he's back in form…as a hybrid." Damon explained.

"WHAT? OH MY GOD! This is not good! Not good at all!" Mrs. Barton warned.

"Yes, we know that Mrs. Barton…which is why we need your help." Elena said, looking at Evelyn.

"My help? Why? I mean, how can I even help you with whatever you want to do?" Evelyn asked, trying to process so much of information at once.

"We'll get to that later…first, Mrs. Barton, please continue." Damon said, looking sympathetically at Evelyn. She just shrugged at him.

"Okay, well…as I said, Witches couldn't stop vampires or werewolves from causing deaths. So, they put a curse on them…binding the werewolves to the moon and making the vampires slaves of the sun (The originals were not affected though)! But, that didn't stop them from causing havoc either. They were very powerful…and even managed to kill witches. That's when the Fates came into existence!"

"How did they help? What's the power a Fate possesses?" Bonnie asked, curious.

"You see…the fates have no 'Powers' as such." Mrs. Barton looked at everyone's face, their curiosity turning into confusion. She continued, "Well, all they do is…make sure you are successful at whatever you do." She smiled.

"To be more specific, the Fates have the ability to make ANY endeavor successful if they SINCERELY wish for it to be!"

"WHAT? You mean you just have to think about it, and it'll happen?" Damon looked at Mrs. Barton, then Evelyn, his mouth open in amazement.

"Yes, exactly that. So, the fates were created to be on the Witches' side, so that they could finish vampires and werewolves forever."

"Then how come they were not successful?" Elena asked, confused.

"Well…The Fates do have the ability to help someone's cause, but ultimately, they are humans. They can easily be killed." Lisa saw that all of them finally realized what she was getting at.

"So, you mean they can be killed like anyone of us?" Elena still inquired.

"Yes. That's absolutely right. They can be killed like any human…Which is exactly what happened when the Originals came to know of their existence! You see…the Fates obviously disagreed to be on their side and help them, so…they were killed to almost extinction, by none other than Klaus and his family!"

"God! This is crazy! They killed EVERYONE? ALL the Fates? How did they even know how many existed?" Damon asked.

"By then, the Originals had quite a few Witches on their side. So, The Fates were located, and murdered!" Lisa explained.

"So how did your family survive? And how come you don't have the Power?" Bonnie asked, trying to fit in all the pieces of the puzzle.

"My ancestors were very close to a Witch clan-the Bennetts!" She looked at Bonnie who was completely shocked to hear this new piece of information.

"Y-You knew my ancestors?" she finally managed to say.

"Yes Bonnie. Your ancestors were very close to our ancestors…which is why they cast a spell on our family to save us. They gave our clan a boon and a curse! The boon was that we would be able to survive…" she stopped, letting all the information sink in.

"What was the curse then?" Damon was curious.

"The curse was that to survive, we had to lose our powers!" She continued seeing the questioning look on their faces. "Yes, my ancestors survived only because they lost their powers…but, the curse said that we would not completely be derived of our legacy. It enabled us to get our powers back, only when there was a need for the same."

"Sorry, I'm confused." Elena said.

"Yeah, me too!" Damon agreed.

"What I mean is, I don't have the powers…because there was no need for the existence of a Fate when I was born. On the other hand, Klaus has been getting very powerful for the last few years…and now, he's almost invincible. So, to prevent this, Evelyn was born with powers!" She finished.

"Okay! So, you mean only that generation possesses powers which can use it to help nature regain its balance?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes, absolutely!" Mrs. Barton looked sad suddenly… "And that's why I never told Evelyn about her powers! Because I thought if she doesn't know about them, it would keep her safe from these dangers. I didn't want anyone to take her away from me!" She said, tears in her eyes.

Evelyn, who had been quiet till now because of the shock, spoke up, "Mom! I understand completely! I know you were trying to protect me!" Evelyn hugged her mother.

"We all understand why you did what you did Mrs. Barton. But, we really need Evelyn's help." Elena said sympathetically…looking at Bonnie and Damon to continue.

"Yes, Mrs. Barton. We need Evelyn's help. She's the only one who can help us kill Klaus forever! And that's a very difficult task now that he's become a hybrid!" Bonnie explained.

"I know! I get it all! I'm just worried for my daughter. Her life is at risk in all this."

"Mom…Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! This is what I'm meant to do!" Evelyn tried to be as confident about is as she could, but Damon could see how scared she was. It broke his heart to think of something happening to her.

"Mrs. Barton!" He said finally… "I promise... I promise I would never let anything happen to Evelyn." He said with a determined look in his eyes. "I will die before I let anything happen to her!" He continued, and then trying to lighten everyone's mood a little, he added, "That is, if I can die again!" He gave his usual lopsided grin and was glad when he saw Mrs. Barton smile…but Evelyn just stared at him, not understanding what he meant. He realized she didn't know what he was and saw that Mrs. Barton was also thinking the same thing.

This was going to be hard, he thought. She'll probably be completely repelled once she gets to know who I am…but, she needs to know.

"Well, we didn't really get to the 'proper' introductions!" He continued…unsure of her reaction. "I'm a vampire!" He looked directly at Evelyn and said.

"WHAT?" She screamed and moved as far away from him as she could!

"Evelyn…Relax! I would never hurt you." He tried to calm her.

"Evelyn…Damon's not going to do anything to you. Don't worry darling." Mrs. Barton also tried to console her… But Evelyn was just shocked. She had never expected DAMON to be one of those things she'd just learnt existed.

"Don't be scared Evelyn. Damon might be a vampire, but he's one of the nicest guys around." Bonnie tried to assure Evelyn and smiled at Damon. "I'm a Witch! And if I can trust him, I'm sure you can too!"

"You're a WITCH? Oh My God! I can't take all this…Isn't there a 'normal' soul in this town?" Evelyn said, obviously scared.

"I'm a human!" Elena said… "And so are most people in this town. Only a few supernatural beings exist and none of them are going to harm you because they want the same thing as us-Klaus dead!" Elena tried to explain.

"So, you think I can help you with that?" Evelyn asked, finally calming down a little.

"Yes! Only you can help us!" Damon said, trying to make her to look at him. She did…but, she was still so scared!

"W-Wouldn't that make me the first person this K-Klaus would want to…k-kill?" Evelyn asked, a look of pure fear on her face.

God! How I wish she didn't need to get involved, Damon thought… But, he knew they had no other option. He wanted to reassure her, but he knew she deserved the truth… "Yes." He said, slowly.

"But that's only if he even knows of your existence." Elena said, trying to get something positive out of this whole situation.

"Umm…Elena…I'm sure he does." Bonnie looked at Evelyn sadly… "He's Klaus! He wouldn't let anything come in his way. But, that doesn't mean you have to die Evelyn…" She said, looking at the scared girl. "We'll protect you…all of us!" She looked at Damon specifically.

Elena couldn't help but feel that pang of jealously again… It had always been about Damon protecting her- She had been the only one that mattered to him! Now, it seemed like that had changed…

Stop! She chided herself. We need Evelyn if we want to kill Klaus. All of us need to protect her!

Damon looked at the fragile 'human' in front of him…She was in danger, obviously.

"Evelyn…I promise you won't be harmed…not till I stand!" He said with conviction…DETERMINED to protect this human who was starting to matter to him A LOT!

Evelyn just looked at him and tried to smile…She knew that Damon being a vampire was a shock, but she couldn't help but still feel that 'something' pulling her towards him.

"I'm sure you would keep my daughter safe Damon!" Mrs. Barton said as she saw the way Damon looked at Evelyn and thought to herself…

_It was bound to happen. He's a __**Salvatore**__ after all! But, they don't have to know…they don't have to know about the curse…_

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><p><strong><em>So, finally, here it is! All the secrets unveiled! :D Except a few maybe...(referring to the end).<em>**

**_I hope all of you like this chapter...I have put in "major" effort in this one! Had to cook up sooooo many stories! :D_**

**_Thanks again to loonynerdxd9 for the review! :) _**

**_If you do like the story, PLEASE REVIEW! (That's the only way I'll know!) ;) _**

**_THANKS for reading! :)_**


	14. Trouble in Paradise

_**Trouble in Paradise**_

Damon, Elena and Bonnie were headed back to the Boarding House along with the Bartons. They needed to discuss more about what role Evelyn was to play in this whole scenario…

Damon looked at Evelyn through his rearview mirror-she was so…'human'! He felt it was wrong that she had been dragged into this, but this…was the only way to save Stefan! Stefan-who had sacrificed EVERYTHING for him. He owed it to his brother to save him from whatever Klaus had in mind.

Still, Damon couldn't help but feel very protective for Evelyn. He knew he would try his best to keep her safe in all this…she mattered to him-a LOT more than he was ready to accept! Damon looked at Elena who was sitting next to him. Hadn't he been in love with her all this while? He was baffled as to how no one seemed to matter to him when Evelyn was around! He felt his morals were on such a slippery ground! What would Elena be thinking of him right now? He had told her only a few days back that he loved her! God! This was so…weird!

Elena looked at Damon whose face clearly showed he was distressed about something. She wished she knew what was going on in his mind right now-worry for Evelyn…or what to do about the Klaus situation! She hated herself for the way she had been feeling lately…but, Damon had changed! His world didn't revolve around her anymore…why did that sting?

Elena knew she had always been the one to make the "choice". Was she feeling like this because for the first time, she felt she was just a second option? Did Damon not care for her anymore? Why had Damon's actions started bothering her so much? He had always been the flirt! So, it shouldn't matter! But, Elena knew this was different… She saw the way Damon looked at Evelyn! It was obvious to everyone!

They reached the Boarding House and Damon parked the car while everyone went in.

The first person Evelyn saw when she entered the house looked like Elena's twin! She couldn't believe her eyes! She looked at Elena…and then at the other girl-completely clueless as to what was going on! As the other girl started approaching her, she took a step back and bumped right into Damon!

"Uh…I- I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking." She stammered.

He just shrugged and smiled. For the briefest moment, their bodies had touched…and he had felt an electric jolt pass through him! One look at her confirmed that she had felt the same…

"Are we done?" Evelyn blushed as she realized they had been staring at each other as she heard a voice behind her…It was Elena's look alike. She took an involuntary step back and clutched Damon's hand.

"What? Are you crazy? Who are you anyway?" The girl said again.

"Shut up Katherine! And just back off!" Damon said, hissing. He held on to Evelyn's hand protectively…not wanting to leave it!

"I see you've got yourself a new toy Damon." Katherine smirked.

Before Damon could retort Bonnie felt herself giving Katherine a killer aneurysm! Katherine fell forward on her knees, holding her head and writhing in pain. Suddenly, Bonnie stopped.

Everyone was staring at Bonnie who was usually supposed to be really pissed to do something like this.

"I didn't do anything!" Bonnie said, defensively.

"Oh come on Witch! That, right there, was the best thing you've ever done in your life!" Damon said with a smirk.

"But I didn't do it Damon! Trust me!" Bonnie said, utterly confused.

"Oh I wish you were up for dinner!" Katherine hissed. Bonnie raised her eye and looked at Katherine, ready to give her an aneurysm willingly now.

"Well, that was just a display of a Fate's powers!" Mrs. Barton spoke up, a look of understanding on her face.

"What do you mean?" Elena looked at Mrs. Barton and then at Evelyn…

"I didn't do anything!" Evelyn said, surprised.

"Oh Darling! You don't know how potent your powers are! What were you thinking right before this happened?" Mrs. Barton asked her daughter.

"I don't know! I was just scared! Scared of h-her!" Evelyn said pointing a finger at Katherine… "And..."

"And?" Damon asked her softly.

"And I just thought that she was being mean to everyone and wished I could give her a taste of her own medicine!" Evelyn said, slightly more confident now.

Everyone except Katherine couldn't help but smile at this… Especially Damon! He just looked at her in awe! "And you managed to make the Witch give her an aneurysm just like that?"

"Well…I don't really know how that worked…" Evelyn said innocently. Everyone looked at Mrs. Barton hoping she could explain.

"Well, I told you guys! She's new! But, lethal!" Mrs. Barton laughed. "She can make someone do ANYTHING by just thinking about it! It's not exactly mind control…because Evelyn could have only made Bonnie do it if Bonnie herself was willing to do so!" She winked at Bonnie… "You were just waiting to get pissed off 'enough' Bonnie!"

"Well…guilty as charged!" Bonnie said and smirked at Katherine.

"Awww…So, now you know not to mess around, Miss Katherine?" Damon asked with a puppy dog face.

"You know she's still human. I can kill her anytime I want!"

Damon was about to lung for her but again she fell down because of an aneurysm. "Wow! I'm really new to this…I didn't think a sub-conscious thought would make that happen again! Sorry!" Evelyn smiled sweetly at Katherine who was getting up now.

Everyone burst out laughing… "This is so cool!" Tyler said. "Welcome to the gang!" He grinned at Evelyn.

"Even you're a vampire?" Evelyn asked, surprised.

"No! I'm a werewolf." He replied matter-of-factly.

"And I'm a vampire." Caroline said

"Any other 'super naturals' I need to remember?" She looked at everyone and then said to Katherine, "Who are you? Elena's twin?"

"Oh no! No No No!" Elena said, "She's Katherine."

"Yeah! She's the bitch at work behind our screwed up lives!" Damon said, turning to smile at Katherine.

"I'm a vampire. 500 year old at that! So, you better watch out Miss Oh-so-powerful! I can rip you to pieces in less than a minute."

Before Damon or anyone else could say anything, Alaric spoke up, "Look guys! We have to stop this. There are more important 'issues' at hand! For instance, Anna and Vicki paid another visit."

"WHAT?" Elena turned to look at her brother. "Why didn't you tell me? Are you okay?" She said, moving to hold him by his shoulders. He was the ONLY family she had left. She dreaded losing him too…

"I'm fine Elena. Really. What's important is that they wanted to help us again! They gave me another clue." He went on to tell everyone what had happened the night before.

"Someone who knows Klaus more than Katherine huh?" Damon repeated his words. "Interesting."

"Well, I did figure out who they were talking about…" everyone looked at him expectantly. "I think it's Elijah!" He said finally… "After all, who can know Klaus better than him."

"You are right on the mark Jeremy. It can only be Elijah!" Caroline piped in.

"But how do we trust Elijah again? And, we don't even know where he is!" Alaric said, frustrated.

"There's no point looking for Elijah. He can't help you!" Katherine told them.

"And why, may I ask, do you say so?" Damon said, tired of her games.

"Well…" She didn't speak further.

"What have you done this time Bitch?" Damon's control was slipping by now.

"I haven't done anything, Damon!" She looked at him defensively. "But, I did witness something." She muttered finally.

"WHAT IS IT KATHERINE? Stop testing my patience!" Damon was very angry.

"Umm…Elijah is dead! Klaus killed him." Katherine said, trying not to meet anyone's eyes.

Damon's control snapped. He pinned her against the wall, the veins in his face becoming prominent.

"Damon! Stop!" Elena screamed.

"No! Not this time Elena! I've had enough of this psychotic Bitch!" Damon said in a steel voice.

Katherine was gasping because of Damon's strong hold on her neck.

"Damon! Please…don't! This is not the way!" He heard Evelyn speak. As if under compulsion, Damon followed what the voice said and threw Katherine on the floor. Everyone was stunned! It wasn't like Damon to listen to someone when in rage!

"Is this one of your powers too?" Alaric asked

Evelyn looked confused but Mrs. Barton replied. "No. It's not!"

No one could come up with anything to say. So, they all just kept quiet. Finally, it was Evelyn who spoke… "W-What happened to your face that time?" She looked at Damon.

"A characteristic of being a vampire." He said blankly.

"Oh." Was all she could say. She was scared of this side of Damon. Though she was sure he would never hurt her, but she was so new to all this. She could hardly understand what they all were talking about.

"So, what do we do now that Elijah is dead?" Jeremy finally asked as Damon gave Katherine another look of PURE hatred.

"We'll have to find Elijah and take out the dagger from his heart." Bonnie answered his question, obviously aware of how impossible the solution sounded.

"And how do we find his body?" Alaric asked.

"I don't know. We'll have to search for it and hope we get the answer soon." She stopped suddenly and looked at Evelyn. Everyone followed her glance and they all knew what she was thinking!

"We have Evelyn!" Bonnie exclaimed. "We can do anything!"

"Oh…so, you want me to help you locate this person?" Evelyn asked, trying to get her facts straight.

"YES! And if you help us, we will be able to do it no matter how impossible it sounds!" Bonnie went ahead and held her hand. "You're a true blessing for us, Evelyn."

"Glad to be of help." She smiled at her new friend.

"Okay, so we find Elijah then. But, not today! I think we all need some rest…and, I want Evelyn to know the WHOLE deal before she is confronted by any other dangers." Damon said.

"Yeah, Damon's right." Bonnie said. "We should all head back home and meet here tomorrow."

"Okay by me." Elena smiled and so did everyone else. They finally felt a ray of hope in this bleak situation.

"Come on. I'll drop you both." Damon said, looking at the Bartons.

"Yeah. That'll be great." Mrs. Barton said.

"And safe too!" Bonnie added.

"Good night everyone!" Evelyn smiled at everyone before leaving.

They left for the Lockwood House. Damon wanted to drive the Bartons back home because he wanted to make sure they reached safely…And also because he knew Wolf boy wanted to spend some time alone with Barbie. He smiled thinking of how they managed to stay together, being "natural" enemies!

On the way, he started filling them in about Klaus... He knew it was important for Evelyn to be aware of the dangers all this entailed. When they reached the Lockwood house, Mrs. Barton wished Damon good night and left, leaving Evelyn and Damon alone.

"Well…umm…" He looked at her, tongue-tied, "I hope you're not scared anymore. You're more powerful than anyone of us!"

"Yeah. I definitely feel more confident. But, I'm still brand new to all this! I hope that doesn't cause trouble." She said, genuinely concerned.

"You definitely have a lot left to learn…but, you seem to be a natural at it!" Damon grinned at her. She smiled back…that smile which would've taken his breath away had he been human.

"I seem to have met a charming vampire." She blushed as she realized what that could imply.

"That would be me!" he smiled again, trying to ease over the situation.

She smiled. "Anyway…" She said reluctantly, not wanting to end their conversation but, not knowing what to say anymore.

"Yeah, I guess we should call it a night. It's been a long day for you!" Damon said, reading her expression.

"Good night Damon!" she smiled at him and went inside. "Good night" He replied. He surveyed the Lockwood property once before he finally left for the Boarding House. It had definitely been a long day.

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><p>Bonnie reached home tired and ready to sleep any minute. She changed into her PJs and quickly got into her bed. Then she lay down thinking about the day's events for some time before finally falling off to sleep.<p>

In the middle of the night, she suddenly got up! She looked around but didn't recognize where she was. It was dark all around!

She realized she was dreaming…this was just a dream! But, why was it feeling so real?

Then, suddenly she woke up with a start! She was panting and tried to recollect what she had seen…it all came back to her at once.

She immediately called up Damon. The phone rang for quite some time before he finally picked up… "You better have a good reason for calling right now Witch!" he said in a sleepy voice.

"Evelyn's in danger!"

"WHAT?" He was definitely not sleepy anymore.

"I saw a dream Damon. But, I'm sure it was sort of a warning."

"What do you mean Bonnie?"

"_**KLAUS! **__I saw __**Klaus…"**_

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><p><strong><em>Hey everyone! So, I'm finally getting closer to the BIG BATTLE! ;) I named this chapter "trouble in paradise" because of the irony of the statement! : D<em>**

**_I really hope you guys are liking the story! PLEASE review and let me know how it is! :)_**

**_Thanks again to loonynerdxd9 for the constant support! Your reviews make me want to write further ASAP! :)_**

**_thanks for reading everyone! Hope to see some more reviews about the story so far! :)_**


	15. Bad Tidings

_**Bad Tidings**_

The atmosphere of the room couldn't have been grimmer. Damon, Bonnie and Tyler had collected along with the Bartons in Evelyn's room. Everyone was still under shock from what Bonnie had told them. The others had not been disturbed at this late hour but Damon had texted Elena about it.

He still felt numb from his run to the Lockwood mansion. Never before had he thought of his 'vampire' skills as slow. But today, when Bonnie had told him about her dream, he had been scared to death. He had just rushed off his house as fast as he could, cursing himself for not guessing the fact that Klaus would obviously know about Evelyn and try to take her away. He remembered clearly the wave of relief that has spread over him when he had finally seen her…sleeping without a trace of knowledge about the danger she was in…looking as beautiful as she always did. His 'dead' heart seemed to be very much alive when he was with her-HE felt alive! After all these years of gloom…just one look at her, safe, brought him peace.

He had woken her up, as gently as he could. When she saw him there, she had thought she was dreaming. She had smiled up at him, thinking he was not really there. He could have been mistaken for a statue because he had not moved an inch…he just sat there, mesmerized. And then she had lifted her hand to touch his face…which just put another spell on them, both lost in the feeling. When Mrs. Barton had knocked, they had been jolted back to reality and that's when she had realized he was "actually" there! She had turned crimson red as she realized what she had been doing, but he didn't care! She was safe…and it was obvious now that even she felt attracted towards him! What more could he ask for!

Bonnie calling out his name made him realize he had been lost in his own world again! He had to concentrate now! Why was it so hard to concentrate around Evelyn? He shrugged and finally started paying attention to what Bonnie was saying.

She repeated her dream to all of them and voiced her concern for Evelyn's safety. Then she looked at Damon and said, "I think Evelyn should stay around us! I mean, Tyler is here…but she needs more protection, now that we know Klaus will be coming for her."

"Yes, you're right!" then he looked at Evelyn and said hesitantly, "She could stay at the Boarding House."

"Oh yes! That would be perfect!" Bonnie said and then looked uncertainly at Mrs. Barton, "If that's okay with you!"

"I think it's best for her to be surrounded by you all. Though I'll have to stay here because of Carol. She would be deeply hurt if we just go away."

"So, all settled then. Evelyn goes with Damon to the boarding house. And Tyler is here to protect Mrs. Barton if need be." Bonnie said.

"Yes, that's okay for now. But what are we going to do about Klaus?" Tyler asked no one in particular.

"All we know right now is that our Hybrid friend will soon be coming to Mystic Falls. Since he's powerful enough, we need to keep Evelyn safe! That's all we can do right now." Damon answered.

"I could start practicing with Bonnie…you know, certain spells which could help us kill Klaus!" Evelyn said meekly.

Damon just looked at her, wondering how she would defend herself if the need arises, which, he was sure, would. He knew he had no other option but to protect her. That was the solution to all his problems- getting Stefan back…and…And, he realized as a lump formed in his throat- getting her out of all this alive, for him! Because he couldn't live without her…He realized as he looked at her now, eyes full of compassion.

Bonnie saw the emotions play on Damon's face and she knew for sure that Damon was trying to come to terms with his feelings…growing feelings, for Evelyn.

Mrs. Barton had been noticing the same thing. Now, she wondered, should she tell them about the curse? No! There was no need for it! She chided herself for being so weak when it came to matters involving her daughter.

* * *

><p>Klaus was angry! He was VERY angry!<p>

He looked at his warlock, Maddox with eyes full of rage. "How could you have missed her?" He said with a calm that meant no well.

"I'm sorry master. But, she seemed to have some protection around her which can't be penetrated even by the most powerful Witches! Even now, I couldn't have located her had I not seen Damon Salvatore's face when I tried to locate her."

"You know Maddox… I hate losing. Even for the smallest possible things, I hate not getting what I want!"

"I apologize profusely master. But now that we know she's in Mystic Falls, I can do whatever you ask me to!"

"You see that's the point. Now that I know where she is, you… are of no use to me!" Klaus said, advancing towards him.

"Master, PLEASE! Forgive me! I shall make myself of use to you! Anyway you want!" Maddox pleaded.

Klaus looked at his oldest Warlock. He knew he wasn't going to kill him…But, fear! Fear, he thought, in small doses…was necessary! Klaus covered up the space between them in a blur and held Maddox by his throat, "This is your last chance. One more mistake, and…snap snap snap!" He laughed.

"Now, prepare to leave. We're going to pay another visit to my dear old town…Mystic Falls!" Klaus said with a gleam in his eye. "Ask Stefan to get ready too! He might want to meet his girlfriend again!" He said, grinning.

Maddox just bowed and left the room as fast as he could, before his master could change his mind about sparing him.

* * *

><p>Damon put down Evelyn's stuff in the guest room right next to his own bedroom. This way, he thought, he would be able to make sure she remained completely safe.<p>

Katherine had been annoyed to see Evelyn again, but…who cared! Damon smiled as he remembered how Evelyn had given Katherine a special display of her powers.

"What's funny?" he turned around to find Evelyn looking at him, amused.

"Oh…N-Nothing!" he stammered like a 16 year old again and then found himself telling her what he was thinking. She laughed as she heard him out and then he realized she had been using her "powers" against him.

"You really can make anyone do anything!" Damon grinned.

"No! Not really! Like my mom said, I can only make you do something if that was your intention in the first place. Which means…that you would have told me what it was anyway! I just saved myself the trouble of asking again!" she laughed.

He was awestruck by her beauty again…and the way she laughed. It just made him want to grin like a stupid fool for no reason! She had complete control over him. He would do anything…ANYTHING…to make that smile last forever!

He just kept looking at her… She caught him staring and blushed! He could hear her heartbeat rise!

He couldn't stop himself as he walked towards her…step by step, inching closer to her. She realized what he was doing but couldn't move. She stood glued to her position…wanting him to come near.

Damon reached where she was standing…they were just inches apart. He brought his hand up and stroked her cheek gently, "What are you Evelyn? You seem to have me under your spell!" He looked at her and sighed, "I can't stop thinking about you…everything about YOU! The way you smile…the way you toss your hair around…they way your eyes shine when you look at me!" he inched closer. "You are the only thing that's on my mind every single minute. Everything about you drives me crazy!" he sighed again…his eyes not leaving hers. "I should be concerned about my brother and about how we plan to kill Klaus!" she shuddered when she heard his name and he couldn't help but hold her shoulders reassuringly. "All I can think of is that I want to protect you from all this…so that I can be with you! I want to be selfish! I want to just think about myself and that means not letting you get involved in any of this… I wish…I just wish this wasn't the way we were supposed to meet!"

She saw how distressed he looked as he said this… She wanted to comfort him…and be comforted by him!

She knew she was falling for him… And all she wanted was HIM! He saw the look on her face and knew she wanted this as much as him…any chance to be close because they didn't know how the future was going to be!

"Damon… ", Was all she managed to say before he brought his lips on hers and they got lost in each other's arms...

* * *

><p><strong><em>So finally, here it is! Damon confessing his feelings! :)<em>**

**_I'm sure Elena's going to be very jealous once she realizes what happened! ;)_**

**_Hope you all like the story so far... PLEASE REVIEW and let me know! _**

**_:)_**


	16. The World comes Crashing Down

_**The World Comes Crashing Down**_

Bonnie couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen. She had had nightmares! Scary ones! And she knew it meant something… there was too much of negativity surrounding all her friends but, she could do nothing about it. They would just have to wait for what was in store for them.

She reached the Boarding House and was surprised to find that no one was awake yet.

"Damon? Ric? Evelyn?" She called out as she entered.

"Hey Bonnie! It's so good to see you!" Damon was down the stairs in a blur and standing next to her.

"Wow. What happened to you?" she laughed and let him remove her coat. Her hand touched his for the briefest moment and she knew the reason for his happiness. He had noticed the touch too… and felt grateful as she just smiled at him, obviously implying she was happy about what had happened last night… Last night…Evelyn…He stopped his train of thoughts before he could get lost in his dream world and looked at Bonnie, "So, what brings you here so early?"

"Early?" she looked at her watch. It was 6 am. "Oh! I didn't realize what the time was! I'm sorry!"

"I guess you're starting to forget I'm a vampire!" Damon smiled playfully.

"That can be because you've started acting like a madly-in-love romantic, HUMAN!" She grinned.

"Ouch!" he said as they both laughed.

"What did I miss?" Ric said as he came down the stairs, followed by Katherine.

"Nothing!" Bonnie looked at Damon and started laughing again. But, this time Damon was looking elsewhere…

Bonnie had no time to see what had Damon's attention as she felt a strong negative force hit her! She took a step back… "Bonnie! What's wrong?" Damon was at her side in a moment.

"Are you okay? What happened?" This time it was a new voice…Evelyn.

"Oh no! This really shouldn't be what I think it is!" Bonnie said as it dawned on her that all the negativity was centered around Evelyn.

"What? What are you talking about?" Ric asked her the question everyone was about to.

"Call everyone. We have a problem." She said as she walked towards the couch and sat down, perplexed.

Everyone was soon collected at the Boarding House. Jeremy was sitting next to Bonnie, trying to comfort her. No one had asked her again about what she'd wanted to say… no one wanted to hear bad news…

Katherine finally said, "Are we done with the dramatics? Could darling Bonnie finally tell us what the matter is?" everyone glared at her but before anyone could say anything, Bonnie got up…

"I don't know how to explain this…but, you all need to be very careful these next few days. I have been getting strange, negative vibes from Evelyn…" she looked at the girl who seemed to be puzzled now.

"This means what?" Tyler asked.

"It means she's in grave danger. And it's not only her… I've been sensing something wrong with our surroundings. It just focuses on Evelyn…and sometimes Elena! I don't know…but, I'm sure it's not just a feeling. Something is going to happen!" She looked at both Evelyn and Elena with a guilty expression.

"So, how do we protect them from…whatever?" Ric said to break the tension which had suddenly penetrated the room. He was particularly afraid of Damon's reaction. Alaric felt sad for Damon. His life was becoming a tragedy! He wanted his best friend…only friend to be happy!

"I'm sure we'll be safe here…at the Boarding House…with all of you!" Evelyn said, trying to ease everybody. She looked at Damon and saw his dejected expression. She couldn't bear to see him unhappy! Evelyn walked up to him and held his hand, intertwining their fingers! She tried her best to smile at him confidently…trying not to show how scared she was! But he knew the truth…he knew her! He shrugged and just held her close.

Elena was just looking at Damon and Evelyn. Now, she was sure there was something going on between them! She could see it…everyone could see it! But, this was no time to think about that… she thought, trying to overlook the pang of hurt she felt because Damon was not comforting HER!

These past few days, Elena had come to realize that the "kiss" that she'd shared with Damon the night he was on 'deathbed' was no pity kiss at all! It was that part of her which felt something for Damon! Yes, she'd always loved Stefan…But… Why was there this "but"? she was thinking when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around to look into those blue eyes she'd wanted to see this whole time. "Damon!"

"Elena! Please don't be worried! You know I'll protect you from everything, right?" Damon was concerned about her! Elena felt guilty about how different Damon's interpretation of her expression was. She knew she had no right to feel jealous! She had chosen the 'other brother'! So, why these feelings now? To Damon she said, "Yes! I know Damon! That's why I'm not worried!" she smiled at him though she was sure he'll see through it. Thankfully, he didn't push the subject and just gave her a friendly hug. Those moments when she had his arms around her, Elena felt protected…and completely content. Strange she'd never felt that way with Stefan! Before she could think about all this anymore, Damon removed his hands and after a brief smile, left to take his place next to Evelyn again. Elena chided herself again for thinking the way she was…but, she couldn't help it!

"Okay, so…Evelyn stays here with Damon…" Bonnie looked at Damon and gave a soft smile. "And the others too, of course!"

"Elena can come home with me!" Jeremy piped in. "I think it's stupid to keep all the people in danger under the same roof!"

"Yeah, Little Gilbert has a point." Damon said, looking tentatively at Elena… "Though I still want her to be here!"

Elena smiled at Damon, although realizing sadly he'd just meant that as a friend.

"No! I think I'll be more comfortable at home." She said and then realized how weird that sounded. "Yes! That's because we've been planning a slumber party since ages! Now would be the perfect time! It'll solve both purposes…" Caroline said, trying to cover up for her friend because she'd been noticing how Elena had been looking at Damon for quite some time now.

Bonnie also got the hint and said, "Yeah… Care's right! The three of us need some time together now!" she smiled.

Elena looked at her two best friends, glad that they'd saved her from explaining… but she was sure they knew the real problem… it clearly showed on their faces!

"Okay! Then that's done!" Ric said. "Damon, Evelyn, Katherine and I will stay at the Boarding House and the rest of you can party at Elena's!" he smiled, trying to diffuse the silence.

"Yeah, we can have a boy's night out too!" Tyler said enthusiastically, looking at Jeremy.

"Sounds like fun!" Jeremy winked back at him.

"So, Let's just try staying out of danger… and uh… Bonnie!" Damon said, "Did you find any spell to locate Elijah's dead body?" Everyone was reminded again of the "innumerous" problems at hand. "Yes, I found a spell… But, I'm not sure if it'll work because it's never been performed for an Original." She shrugged.

Everyone sat back down in different places and there was silence in the room again… until Evelyn got up and smiled, "What am I here for?"

Everyone turned to look at her and realized what she was implying! There was a sudden expression of hope on every face in the room!

"OH MY GOD! YES! Why didn't I think of it before?" Bonnie smiled at Evelyn. "So, you want to try it out right now?" Evelyn asked her.

"I'm ready if you are!" Bonnie said, hesitant as she looked at Damon's grave expression. Evelyn saw what Bonnie was looking at and sighed. She went up to Damon and looked into his eyes and said, "I'll be fine! I don't even have to do anything! I just have to wish… like I wished for you!" he looked into her earnest eyes and couldn't help but think of how much he really LOVED her. "It's still dangerous! You've never done something like this before!" He said and turned away from her.

"Damon!" She made him turn back so that he was facing her again and said, "You're here! I know nothing can happen to me when you're there to protect me! So, I have nothing to worry about!" she smiled confidently. Damon couldn't hold himself back anymore… he just bent down and kissed her gently, praying that nothing would happen to her in all this. Everyone looked at them with a knowing expression, as if they were sure this would happen! Everyone was smiling… except Elena. But, no one noticed! She was finally coming to terms with the fact that she was no longer Damon's reason to survive… and now, surprisingly, that's exactly what she wanted to be!

Alaric coughed and everyone else laughed, making Evelyn go as red as humanly possible! Even Damon couldn't help but laughing as he saw her…he pulled her closer! "Okay, you have my permission!" Damon said and smiled at Evelyn's confused look which disappeared when Bonnie replied, "Thank you!"

"Okay, Evelyn… I want you to come and sit inside this circle of lit candles." Bonnie instructed and Evelyn followed.

When they both were inside the circle, Bonnie chanted, _**"D**__**ivinus vox of vis! EGO dico super vos! Copiae copie of vis , ostendo nos vestri presentia! SUCCURRO MIHI!"**_ As soon as she said this, the candles glowed brighter! "Evelyn… now is the time! Wish for us to find Elijah and bring him back to life…wish for me to be successful… wish with a pure heart!" Evelyn bowed and Bonnie continued with her spell.

"_**Vos Copiae copie of Vis , Locus Elijah! REPERIO ELIJAH! Quod aufero dagger ex suus pectus pectoris! REPERIO HIM! Etiam , vado in. iam aufero dagger ex suus pectus pectoris quod addo him nobis! SUCCURRO MIHI addo him hic. Utor totus vox ego have. Addo him nobis!"**_

There was a sudden gush of wind in the room and Jeremy leaped as he saw Bonnie's nose starting to bleed. She wasn't strong enough for this! Alaric had to stop him from leaping into the circle. Suddenly Evelyn cried out with pain. She held her head in her hands and bent forward, crying out! Damon couldn't stop himself but Katherine held him back. She pushed him against the wall and he tried to overpower her but she held him there.

Then suddenly all the candles blew out and there was smoke all around the room. So much so that no one could see anything. They were all blinded by it. As the smoke started to clear and everyone's eyes adjusted to the hazy atmosphere of the room, they all gasped with surprise. It had worked!

Elijah stood in front of them with the dagger in his hand. But, Bonnie and Evelyn lay unconscious on the floor. "Hello everyone!" Elijah said which brought them all back to their senses. Jeremy rushed towards Bonnie and Damon towards Evelyn. They carried both of them to the couch and tried to waken them. Only Katherine stayed behind, glued to her position because of Elijah's presence.

Thankfully, Bonnie and Evelyn regained consciousness… that's when everyone 'actually' noticed Elijah… so, the spell had worked.

Bonnie got up weakly, supported by Jeremy, and faced the vampire, "We brought you back."

"Yes, I'm aware of that… and thankful too." Elijah said in his usual courteous voice.

"Let's not waste time in pleasantries. You're here for a reason." Alaric said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure I'm aware of the reason I'm here. And I'm ready to help you with however I can."

"You see Mr. Two-faced-Original, we don't really trust you anymore. It's a tough job you know!" Damon said, sarcastically.

"I understand that my character stands on slippery grounds here… but, I'll help you. That's the only way to prove that I'm a man of my words."

"Why did you do it? WHY? It's just because of you that we're in this situation right now!" Elena screamed at him, not being able to hold her feelings back anymore. She had had enough of everything!

"I'm sorry Elena. I really am. But, he gave me his word that he'd unite me with my family. If only I had known what his true intentions were! I hope you, out of all people, understand why I couldn't ignore what he said… it was for my Family!" Elijah said sincerely.

"Enough! We don't need your explanations. If you want to prove to us that you're not like your hybrid brother, then Help us kill him!" Bonnie said.

"Is it even possible to kill him?" Tyler asked.

"Yes. There is a way. But, I'm going to have to find out some more information about it."

"What if we have someone… like the Fates on our side?"Katherine asked, getting an instant look of disapproval from Damon.

"WHAT? You have a Fate on your side? But Klaus had them all killed long back! How is it possible? Where is she?" Elijah asked. Then his eyes fell on Evelyn standing next to Damon… He realized it was 'Her'… the room grew silent as he walked towards her. When they were a few feet apart, Damon came and stood in front of Evelyn and said, "Stay away from her!"

"Damon! **Salvatore**! I'm not surprised!" Elijah said thoughtfully.

"Whatever the hell you mean by that, I'm not interested. Just stay away, okay?" Damon was obviously very angry.

"She's the last person I'd want to hurt." Elijah said, "and I can't hurt her even if I want to…with you protecting her!" He smiled. "It's a pleasure seeing you Ms…"

"Evelyn. Evelyn Barton. And I'm sure you understand why I can't say the same for you." Evelyn said in a thin voice.

Before Elijah could reply, Caroline said, "I'm sure we all have better things to do than blame each other right now. So, why don't we get to work?" Everyone looked at her in amazement.

"What? Can't I make a sensible statement?" she said and everyone smiled, easing the tension in the room.

"Blondie's right…for a change!" Damon laughed. "Let's get to work. We have a Hybrid to kill!" Everyone agreed and got to their posts of grimoire reading again. Only Elena, Damon, Bonnie and Evelyn were left standing with Elijah. "So, how are you going to help us?" Bonnie asked him.

"Like I said before, I need to find some more information before I can tell you anything. Give me a few hours time."

"You make it awfully difficult for us to trust you because of your previous records… but, we have no other option I guess!" Elena told him.

"Thank you for your trust… however small it is! And thank you for bringing me back. I shall meet you here in a few hours." Was all Elijah said before he fled out of the house.

"Guess we really are out of options!" Bonnie said and turned to go towards the library.

* * *

><p>After hours and hours of searching, everyone decided to call it a night. They had even eaten lunch and dinner WHILE reading. But, all futile.<p>

As decided earlier, Bonnie and Caroline went with Elena to the Gilbert House. Tyler and Jeremy obviously followed. The others bid them goodnight and were off to their own bedrooms.

Damon swept Evelyn off the floor and took her to her room. Once there, he checked all the doors and windows and also did a thorough search of the house before finally joining her there.

"You must be very tired today… you should get some sleep!" He said softly.

She just hugged him for sometime… "Yes, today was a very long day. I can sleep standing!" they both laughed as he picked her up again and laid her down on her bed, cuddling her with the sheets. He bent down to kiss her smiling face and resisted all temptation to stay with her in her room… she needed some rest!

"Good night!" He said before he could lose his control. She smiled and closed her eyes. He stayed there a while…watching her sleep with a calm expression on her face. She looked so beautiful, even when she was sleeping!

He checked the house and the woods once again before finally retiring to his own bedroom.

* * *

><p>Bonnie felt something was wrong the minute she entered the Gilbert House. She didn't tell the others about it because she couldn't define what it was herself… But, everyone saw the look on her face.<p>

"What's wrong Bonnie?" Elena asked as Jeremy went and put his arm around her waist.

"I don't know. I just got a weird feeling as we were entering the house… as if someone has been here."

"I'll go check the woods around and Care can check inside the house. That way, you'll be satisfied." Tyler said. Everyone nodded as they got to work.

A few mins later, Tyler returned and told them all was fine. "Yeah, there seems to be nothing wrong inside the house either." Caroline confirmed.

"God! I think my nerves are just too worked up!" Bonnie said as they all breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was tired.

"I think we all need some sleep! So, good night guys." Elena said, trying to avoid having to talk to Caroline and Bonnie. But, there was no escaping! "Wait!" Caroline said before Elena could walk away. "Yeah. We need to talk." Bonnie added. "Okay. My room!" Elena said, defeated. Tyler and Jeremy exchanged confused glances but didn't say anything.

Up in Elena's room, the three girls sat in silence for some time and when Elena couldn't bear it anymore, she said, "What do you want to know?"

"We already know it Elena. We just want you to know we're there for you!" Bonnie said and Caroline nodded. They were aware of how Elena looked at Damon and it didn't take a genius to figure out the rest.

"I don't know what's happening! I don't know why I'm feeling this way! Damon! He's Stefan's brother! How can I feel this way?" Elena said out loud… no longer hiding her emotions.

"We understand your condition Elena. And you know you can confide in us whenever you want to! As far as the whole situation now is concerned, Elena… you need to be honest with yourself! It isn't just NOW that you feel this attraction towards Damon, is it? It's been there for quite some time now." Caroline said, as gently as she could. Elena just gaped at her… not knowing what to say.

"Damon transformed from the bad guy to the good guy for YOU! And since then, it hasn't been the same, has it?" Bonnie showered another blow.

"I don't know! I don't know when I started feeling this way! All I know is that I feel very guilty about it!" Elena confessed.

"It's okay Elena. It's okay to feel this way! It's hard to suppress such emotions… good or bad!" Caroline tried to soothe her.

"But what happens now? Damon obviously doesn't love me anymore!"

"He still loves you Elena. He does! But, maybe not the way you want him to...now!" Bonnie tried not to sound harsh, but Elena knew she was saying the truth. After all, she was the one who had pushed away Damon and chosen Stefan over him.

"I don't know what to do Bonnie! I think I'm in LOVE with him! I can't think of anything but how he used to care just about me first and how that has changed now!" Elena said, in tears now.

"Sshhh! Calm down!" Bonnie and Caroline tried to console their friend. They had been aware of these feelings Elena had before she had even come to terms with them… and as they looked at each other now, they saw the same concern mirrored on each other's face… How was Damon going to take this NOW, with Evelyn in the picture. After all, everyone had been seeing how truly he was in love with her.

Everyone was so engrossed in thinking about this problem that they didn't notice the two figures that had materialized in the balcony outside Elena's room!

Bonnie realized this just as Maddox cast a spell which made her and Caroline clutch their heads and fall to the ground, writhing in pain. The noises coming from downstairs confirmed that they had been incapacitated too. Only Elena was left standing… shouting for help.

"Hello Elena!" Another figure appeared from behind her. Elena gasped at who it was. She knew that face… but, she felt that it belonged to a stranger now.

"S-Stefan…" She muttered as he walked towards her.

"So you still remember me huh? But it seems you've taken a fancy for my brother now!" He growled and she took an involuntary step backward. "You turned out to be like Katherine after all… even worse actually. She at least made it evident she was playing with both of us!"

Every word he said was like a dagger to her heart. She knew she was at fault… but, she couldn't say a word… she was afraid of the monster in front of her.

"I-I'm sorry… Stefan!"

He suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders and pinned her against the wall! "sorry? SORRY!" He screamed. "Is that all you can say?" He smiled. "Elena! You know it's not that simple, right?"

"P-Please don't hurt her!" Bonnie screamed… trying her best to somehow overpower Maddox.

"Bonnie! Come on! You're supposed to be good at judging! Don't you think Elena deserves some punishment?" Stefan laughed as he saw the look of pure fear cross Elena's eyes. "N-No Stefan! Please! Don't! This isn't you! You're above this!"

"That's where you're wrong Elena!" He smiled again. "How do you like the idea of a surprise for Damon? A surprise he'll love!" Stefan stepped forward towards her… a gleam of evil in his eyes.

"W-What are you g-going to do to m-me?" Elena asked, trembling with fear.

"I'm going to prepare you as a gift for Damon!" Stefan said as he suddenly bit himself and forced Elena to drink his blood. Only then, Elena realized what he was going to do! She tried to push him away, sreaming… But, he was way stronger. Even Bonnie and Caroline realized what Stefan was upto and tried their best to stop him… but Maddox was using a very powerful spell to keep them all down. They watched helplessly as Stefan fed Elena her blood and said, "Tell Damon that this is just a warning… tell him to stop messing up with Klaus!" and he smiled and added, "Welcome to our world, Elena!" as he twisted her neck and let her limp, lifeless body fall on the floor.

As soon as they were gone, Bonnie and Caroline leapt towards Elena's lifeless body. They didn't know what to do! Stefan had just proved that he had become a monster. Jeremy and Tyler also came upstairs and saw Elena's lifeless body! Jeremy fell down on the floor and took Elena's hand… thinking she was gone forever. Just then, Elena opened her eyes and panted.

"Elena! You're okay!" He said as he hugged his sister. "How? You were… D-dead! Bonnie?" He looked at the witch in awe. But, his world came crashing down with Bonnie's next words… "She's in transition."

The room was engulfed in silence. No one said a word. Elena looked at Jeremy with tears in her eyes. He just hugged her tightly and kept muttering… "There has to be another way… another way!" finally, Caroline got up and called Damon.

"What's it Barbie? You and the Witch can't seem to allow me to live in peace!" he said in his usual witty tone.

"D-Damon…" Caroline said, her voice thick with emotion…

"What's wrong Caroline?" Damon asked, awake now. "WHAT'S WRONG?"

"It's Elena…" Caroline managed to say. "S-Stefan was here!"

"WHAT? Why? What happened? Caroline! TELL ME!"

"Elena's in transition Damon!" Caroline finally said as she broke down.

Damon felt as if someone had just pulled a stake through his heart. Elena… Elena… was all he could think! He heard Caroline's sobs and knew he had to do something… "I'll be right there Caroline! Just… Just stay there!" was all he managed to say as he cut the phone.

"Ric, Katherine!" He shouted as he ran downstairs… both of them came out of their rooms groggily and looked at his face and knew something was wrong. "What?" was all Ric asked.

"Stefan came back. We have to go to Elena's house right now…" and he added with a lump in his throat, "She's in transition."

Alaric and Katherine couldn't believe what they'd just heard. But, they knew they had to act soon. They all ran out of the house and started for the Gilbert House. No one said a word. They were all in shock. Damon was mentally scolding himself for letting Elena out of his sight! He should have made her stay at the Boarding house like Ev… OH MY GOD! He slammed his foot on the brakes as the car skid on the road.

"What happened?" Ric asked, confused.

"E-Evelyn!" was all Damon said as he got out of the car and rushed towards the Boarding House! He was mentally killing himself! How could he have been so stupid? It was all a distraction! Elena had been the distraction!

"Please be there! Please be safe! PLEASE!" Damon cried as he ran as fast as he could. He could feel the tears flowing down his cheeks… How could he have been so stupid!

Damon reached the Boarding House and leapt up the stairs towards Evelyn's room, PRAYING!

He opened the door and entered the room… _**empty**_ room…

Damon felt down on his knees and for the first time in 169 years of his existence, he felt..._nothing…_

* * *

><p><strong><em>So, after a long long time, here comes a LONG chapter! :D<em>**

**_this is for all DELENA fans! Hope you like the fact that Elena finally admits her LOVE for Damon! :) _**

**_Thank you everyone for reading! _**

**_PLEASE review! It means the world to me! :) _**

**_REVIEW! :P_**


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